2013 Fall Movie Preview (December)

AMERICAN HUSTLE (December 13)
Plot: A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock the States, "American Hustle" tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that�s as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Like David O. Russell's previous films, "American Hustle" defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes.

Quick thoughts: Every year there always seems to be one film that I do not identify on my yearly preview that I end up being really excited for when I then do my fall movie preview. This is easily that film this year. Director David O. Russell has basically merged the casts of his past two films, thrown them into the 1970s and let the good times roll. Given how well his past two films have done come awards season, I would expect more of the same for this thriller.


SAVING MR. BANKS (December 13)
Plot: Two-time Academy Award��winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar�-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks," inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney's classic "Mary Poppins" made it to the screen.

Quick thoughts: By the time this film comes out, we will already have a pretty good idea of whether or not we can expect Tom Hanks to be competing with himself for a Best Actor nomination. If I had to guess, I'll bet his work in Captain Phillips is better. That certainly does not diminish my anticipation for this film which looks like it could be the most charming movie of the year. Even if this film does not do much during the awards season, I believe it will still do big business with families during the holiday season.


THE MONUMENTS MEN (December 18)
Plot: Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, "The Monuments Men" is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys � seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 � possibly hope to succeed?�But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.

Quick thoughts: I marked this in my top 5 most anticipated for 2013 and seeing the trailer for this a few weeks ago has not diminished my expectations for it in the least. The term 'all-star cast' is reserved for movies like that. If it can successfully blend the high stakes of adventure of Ocean's Eleven with the gritty realism that comes with covering World War II, this will be one hell of a movie.


ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (December 20)
Plot: With the 70's behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues." Also back for more are Ron's co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) - All of whom won't make it easy to stay classy, while taking the nation's first 24-hour news channel by storm.

Quick thoughts: This is the movie that I am most nervously anxious for. On one hand, the first Anchorman movie is one of my all time favorite comedies and I would hate to have the franchise tarnished in any way with a disappointing follow-up, but these characters are too great not to have had them make a return. Let's just hope this turns out to be the best Christmas present ever and not the equivalent of milk on a hot day in San Diego.


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
Out of the Furnace (December 6)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13)
Foxcatcher (December 20)
Jack Ryan (December 25)

Back with Black

And now from the department of things that make you feel really old, the cast of School of Rock recently reunited in honor of the film's 10th anniversary. A photo of (almost) the entire cast, plus a story about the reunion from EW.com can be seen below.

“Now raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!” Last night the Austin Film Society hosted a 10th anniversary screening of Richard Linklater’s hard-rocking crowd pleaser School of Rock. Mr. Schneee S.’s whole class came to party, from now heavy weight Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove to Robert Tsai (“You’re a fat loser and you have body odor”) to the back-up singers (Maryam Hassan, Caitlin Hale, Aleisha Allen). Jack Black held court during the terrifically freewheeling Q&A after the screening. When a fan asked him for a song, Black broke into an extended verse of “Legend of the Rent” complete with caterwauling and high kicks.

Ten years later and all the kids turned out alright. Many had graduated from college. Some wanted back in the business. Cosgrove, the biggest star of all the kids, said that she’s seen The Rolling Stones in concert ten times. Joey Gaydos Jr. (who played the guitarist Zack) and Kevin Clark (who played the drummer Freddie) are both in bands, living in Detroit and Chicago respectively. Robert Tsai, who played the supremely lovable nerd Lawrence, and who recently graduated from Dartmouth, got the biggest applause of the whole night. (The sweet and shy 22-year-old appears to have ditched out on the above reunion photo.) He was also the only person up there on stage in full suit and tie. At the end of the evening, under much pressure to recreate the improvised handshake he shared with Lawrence in the film, Black and Tsai pulled it off and enjoyed a charmingly awkward embrace.

Black says he and screenwriter Mike White still kick around talk of a sequel. “Never say never,” says Black. “It’s tough for me because it’s the best movie I’ve ever done. You get sensitive about the thing. But yeah it’s possible.”

2013 Fall Movie Preview (November)

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (November 8)
Plot: Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's "Thor" and "Marvel's The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Quick thoughts: Iron Man 3 proved that there can be life after The Avengers, although that movie had the benefit of having the awesome Robert Downey Jr. Still, I think a lot of people are going to be very interested to see the latest adventures in Asgard, especially if it means more Loki. This should serve as a nice alternative to the mostly sophisticated fare that will around in the fall.


THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (November 15)
Plot: Based on Jordan Belfort's best-selling memoir "The Wolf of Wall Street," which chronicles Belfort's dramatic rise and fall on Wall Street, along with his hard-partying lifestyle and tumultuous personal life, which included drug and alcohol addiction.

Quick thoughts: How does a cross between Goodfellas and Wall Street sound? By itself that would be a winning combo. When you combine that with the fact that this is being directed by Martin Scorsese and has an all-star cast featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, and Jonah Hill, you've got a film that has crazy high expectations. Maybe this is the one that finally earns Leo his Oscar.


DELIVERY MAN (November 22)
Plot: From DreamWorks Pictures comes "Delivery Man," the story of affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose mundane life is turned upside down when he finds out that he fathered 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty years earlier. In debt to the mob, rejected by his pregnant girlfriend, things couldn't look worse for David when he is hit with a lawsuit from 142 of the 533 twenty-somethings who want to know the identity of the donor. As David struggles to decide whether or not he should reveal his true identity, he embarks on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but the father he could become as well.

Quick thoughts: The most recent trailer suggests that this will be more of a dramedy than a zany comedy, despite its premise. I'm ok with that as long as the story is good. The fact that the studio pushed this back from its original October release date suggests they have some confidence that this will be a real winner with families during the Thanksgiving holiday.


OLDBOY (November 27)
Plot: "Oldboy" is a provocative, visceral thriller that follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.

Quick thoughts: If you are not familiar, this is an adaptation of a cult Japanese film that was released about a decade ago. I have not seen the original, but I will admit that the film's high concept certainly has me intrigued. Spike Lee is often hit or miss with me, but I am hoping that because he's working with proven material here, he'll be able to deliver something that will be equally satisfying.


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
Dallas Buyers Club (November 1)
Last Vegas (November 1)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (November 22)
Nebraska (November 22)

Rocket powered

We've got even more Marvel casting news today. This time from Comingsoon.net

Following rumors late last week, Marvel has officially confirmed a new addition to the cast of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy: Bradley Cooper is set to voice Rocket Raccoon!

"Rocket has been genetically and mechanically altered," Marvel Studios' President Kevin Feige said of the character in a recent interview. "He's an experiment from one part of the galaxy."

Cooper, recently nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Silver Linings Playbook, joins Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio del Toro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Vin Diesel and Gregg Henry in the sci-fi adventure, set to hit theaters August 1, 2014.

2013 Fall Movie Preview (October)

GRAVITY (October 4)
Plot: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone--tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Quick thoughts: It's hard to believe that this film's released was delayed by nearly a year. However, unlike so many movies who get delayed, this should still be a quality movie. The trailers showcase what looks to be an intense thriller that is also beautifully shot. A lot of people have been eagerly awaiting Cuaron's follow-up to Children of Men and I don't think they'll be disappointed.


RUNNER RUNNER (October 4)
Plot: Princeton grad student Richie (Justin Timberlake), believing he's been swindled, travels to Costa Rica to confront online gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck). Richie is seduced by Block's promise of immense wealth, until he learns the disturbing truth about his benefactor. When the FBI tries to coerce Richie to help bring down Block, Richie faces his biggest gamble ever: attempting to outmaneuver the two forces closing in on him.

Quick thoughts: I highly doubt that this movie will help get Ben Affleck back-to-back Best Picture Oscars, but what it may lack in gravitas I am hoping it makes up for in just good old fashioned entertainment. Timberlake is a rising star who should be able to hold his own here. While the gambling story has been told before, it is one that I still find interesting when it is done well.


CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (October 11)
Plot: Columbia Pictures' action-thriller "Captain Phillips" stars two-time Oscar� winner Tom Hanks in the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. The film is directed by Oscar� nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray and based upon the book, "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea," by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca.

Quick thoughts: Director Paul Greengrass has shown he knows how to do action with his work on the Bourne movies and he has also shown skill at being able to depict real life events like he did in United 93. The fact that he has Tom Hanks in the titular role here only adds to my anticipation for the film. While I know the basic story, I've tried to avoid reading about a lot of the smaller details so as to enjoy this film that much more when it comes out.


JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA (October 25)
Plot: 86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companions, his 8-year-old Grandson Billy in "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa." This October, the signature Jackass character Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) and Billy (Jackson Nicholl) will take movie audiences along for the most insane hidden camera road trip ever captured on camera. Along the way, Irving will introduce the young and impressionable Billy to people, places and situations that give new meaning to the term childrearing. The duo will encounter male strippers, disgruntled child beauty pageant contestants (and their equally disgruntled mothers), funeral home mourners, biker bar patrons and a whole lot of unsuspecting citizens. Real people in unreal situations, making for one really messed up comedy.

Quick thoughts: I have to give Knoxville credit for finding a way to freshen up the Jackass. I have to admit laughing very hard at a lot of the scenes in the trailer for this film. This seems to be going for the Borat approach with a Jackass mentality, which likely means it will be a big hit, especially with younger audiences.


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
A.C.O.D. (October 4)
12 Years a Slave (October 18)
The Fifth Estate (October 18)
The Counselor (October 25)

Bad robot

We've got some cool Avengers 2 casting news today, courtesy of EW.com:

Avengers: Age of Ultron has its psycho robot.

James Spader has signed on to play the villain in writer-director Joss Whedon’s upcoming superhero sequel, Marvel announced today.

The film is set to open May 1, 2015.

Marvel’s announcement didn’t specify whether the three-time Emmy winner Spader (Boston Legal, The Practice) will perform motion-capture to play the mechanical being (as Mark Ruffalo does for his scenes as The Hulk), or simply provide the character’s voice.

Smart money says Spader’s commitment won’t be too intense. He’s starring in the NBC series The Blacklist this Fall, as an ex-government fugitive now helping the FBI track down the world’s most wanted criminals. That probably won’t give him a lot of time to go galavanting in a robot suit.

Whedon recently told EW’s James Hibberd about his plans for the character, an artificial intelligence with a heavy-duty god-complex, overwhelmed with rage toward his creators and longing to overtake the planet with his own spawn.

Think of him as a droid with one hell of a set of daddy issues. “As a character I love [Ultron],” Whedon says, “because he’s so pissed off.”

“I knew right away what I wanted to do with him,” Whedon added. “He’s always trying to destroy the Avengers, goddamn it, he’s got a bee in his bonnet. He’s not a happy guy, which means he’s an interesting guy. He’s got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff. So we’ll take away some of those powers because at some point everybody becomes magic, and I already have someone [a new character, Scarlet Witch] who’s a witch.”

In Marvel comics lore, Ultron is the creation of scientist Hank Pym, a.k.a. Ant-Man, a hero who has a suit that allows him to shrink to tiny proportions and a transmitter that can manipulate insects to do his bidding. Pym is a genius R&D guy, and Ultron is one of his greatest creations. But since the machine is designed to be self-aware and self-teaching, it quickly develops a narcissistic quirk in its programing that sends it off the rails into murder and mayhem.

Ultron begins rebuilding himself into more and more powerful iterations and seeks to create artificial life on his own in a twisted desire to become a parent — especially important since he feels betrayed by his own builder, Pym, when he doesn’t support his programming’s new murderous bent.

But Ant-Man, a film being co-written and directed by The World’s End filmmaker Edgar Wright, won’t be out until after the Avengers sequel. So there is a question about whether Ultron’s origin story will be changed, or if Pym will show up a little early. (Whedon has told Annalee Newitz of io9.com that he won’t.)

In footage shown at Comic-Con in July to announce the title and reveal Ultron as the new villain, it begins with a close-up of what appears to be Iron Man’s mask. We hear various lines from the assorted Avengers that were spoken in previous Marvel movies. As they bicker, the Iron Man helmet revolves and is pulverized by an unseen force.

At the end, we see the title reveal — and Iron Man’s mask has become Ultron’s grinning, fang-like metallic skull.

That has led to a lot of speculation that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, no slouch in the Research & Development field for new technology, may be rewritten as the creator of Ultron, whose mission is to eradicate organic life from Earth and replace it with his own mechanical offspring.

Right now, we can only guess. But one thing is for certain — this pairing of ’80s Brat Packers Downey Jr. and Spader is the most unlikely Less Than Zero reunion anyone could have imagined.

Maybe Ultron just wants Stark to give him his 50K?

UPDATE: Even Whedon has gotten in on the action, tweeting this out to his followers…

All these old Spader & Spader/Downey references and NO LOVE FOR “TUFF TURF”?!?!?! Step up your game, people! #madthrilledbtw

2013 Fall Movie Preview (September)

I know this is a little later than when I normally do this, but I'll be looking at the major movies coming out for the remainder of this year over the next few days. There looks to be some good stuff, so let's get right to it.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (September 27)
Plot: "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" picks up where Sony Pictures Animation's mouth-watering comedy left off. Inventor Flint Lockwood thought he saved the world when he destroyed his most infamous invention -- a machine that turned water into food causing cheeseburger rain and spaghetti tornadoes. But Flint soon learns that his invention survived and is now creating food-animals - "foodimals!" Flint and his friends embark on a dangerously delicious mission to battle hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, hippotatomuses, cheespiders and other foodimals to save the world again!

Quick thoughts: I'll admit that I was only lukewarm on the first Cloudy movie, but the story is based on a clever idea. When the first trailer came out a few months ago, I legitimately laughed at some of the clever word play and 'foodimals' that they came up with. The kids will not doubt eat this one up, but let's hope that this sequel serves up a bit more for the adults as well.


DON JON (September 27)
Plot: Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with good old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to try and find true intimacy in this unexpected comedy written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Quick thoughts: I'll admit the film's plot doesn't scream mainstream audience, but the fact the Gordon-Levitt wrote and directed this film has me intrigued. He has been able to show a good amount of range on-screen, now we'll see if he has the same success behind the camera as well. The film has already played at some film festivals and has earned good buzz so this may become an unlikely success.


HELL BABY (September 6)
Plot: Rob Corddry ("Children's Hospital," "Hot Tub Time Machine") and Leslie Bibb ("Iron Man") star in "Hell Baby," a horror comedy about an expectant couple forced to enlist the help of the Vatican's elite exorcism team after they move into a haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans. The hilariously zany feature directing debut of writing-acting duo Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon ("Night at The Museum," "Reno 911!: Miami"), "Hell Baby" also stars Keegan Michael Key ("Key and Peele," "Due Date"), Michael Ian Black ("This Is 40"), Riki Lindhome ("Million Dollar Baby"), Rob Huebel ("Children's Hospital," "The Descendants") and Paul Scheer ("The League").

Quick thoughts: We have already seen the horror genre played for laughs several times this year, but I'm hoping the talent behind this film is enough to have it rise above those other mediocre efforts. Lennon and Garant have proven with Reno 911 that they now how to mine comedy out of more serious material. Just like with Cloudy, I found myself laughing a lot at the trailer, so I'm hopeful that translates well when seeing the full length film.


RUSH (September 20)
Plot: Two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind," "Frost/Nixon"), teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award nominee, writer Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen"), on "Rush," a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth ("The Avengers") as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl ("Inglourious Basterds") as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Quick thoughts: I can't say that I typically go for a lot of racing movies, but this one has a pedigree behind it that helps it stand out from those others. I typically am very impressive with Ron Howard's films and I'll be interested to see what he brings to the table when it comes to filming the racing scenes. It seems like someone from the Hemsworth family is in every film that comes out these days, but there's no denying that Chris has good charisma and should do well in this daredevil playboy role. If this film meets its potential, it could be a major player come awards season


OTHER POSSIBLE FILMS OF INTEREST
Riddick (September 6)
Insidious Chapter 2 (September 13)
A Single Shot (September 20)
Prisoners (September 20)

RBR: Olympus Has Fallen

When I saw White House Down a couple of months ago, I did not have the luxury of comparing it to the other "Die Hard in the White House" movie that came out this year, Olympus Has Fallen. Now that this one, which stars Gerard Butler in the "John McClane" role, is out for rent I can see that both films share similarities beyond their set-up. Both films are also flawed. Where WHD decided to take a lighter approach to the terrorist plot, Olympus is far more somber. The death count is higher and the kills are more graphic in this one. There are also some problems with the film playing fast and loose with the timeline of event. Compressing the time of events would not be so bad if it was not for the fact that they chose to constantly put a clock up telling us what time it was. You sit there wondering what everyone has been doing for the past two hours when they jump ahead, yet nothing seems to have happened since the previous scene. Plot holes and shoddy filmmaking can be ignored if a film is entertaining, but this movie treats everything so seriously that it's difficult to enjoy any of it. Even Morgan Freeman, who plays the Speaker of the House and eventually takes over as President, seems weary playing his role. While White House Down is no cinematic classic, it at least had the sense to have some fun with its ludicrous plot. This one may boast a higher number of celebrities in its cast, but that's no reason to opt for this dreary disappointment. Rating: **

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 21)

Record: 71 - 59

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (6 games behind Detroit); 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot

The Tribe did what they needed to do this week, which was beat up on lesser teams. They pulled off a sweep of the Angels in Anaheim and then took two out of three at home from the Minnesota Twins. Most of the wins were not overly flashy or impressive, but all that matters is putting another notch in the W column. We have now already surpassed the team's win total from last year and we still have over a month of baseball to go. It is so nice to be continuing this column this far into the season and have the team being playing meaningful games at this point. Speaking of meaningful games, the Indians have an important 9-game stretch coming up starting on Tuesday. It begins with going on to the road for series against the Braves in Atlanta and our final series of the regular season against the Tigers in Detroit. Both of those teams are almost certainly going to the playoffs this year, so it would be nice to be competitive against them. At this point, we do not want to risk falling too far out of playoff contention, so every win matters. The good news is that a lot of our guys are starting to heat up offensively. If we can get each of them hot at the same time, this can be a very dangerous team. Even as the temptation to shift your focus to football emerges, let's continue to root on this team and have them actually play baseball all the way into October! Go Tribe!

RBR: Oz The Great and Powerful

I can't claim to be any huge devotee to The Wizard of Oz like others can. The Judy Garland original doesn't do a whole lot for me, but I can at least credit for creating movie magic. Through pure ingenuity and filmmaking, the audience feels as if they have been transported to a magical land just as much as Dorothy does. That ability is one of the reasons why it continues to find new fans constantly. I don't believe anyone will be looking as fondly to this prequel, which stars James Franco as the man who would become a wizard. We begin in Kansas where Franco plays Oscar, a Kansas magician who makes a living out of fooling people, especially women who take a shining to him. When one of his cons catching up with him, Oscar tries to flee in a hot air balloon, only to get caught up in a tornado that sends him to Oz. Though the screen pops with bright colors upon arriving in this magical land, everything feels as phony as Oscar's magic act. The computer graphics used to create Oz do it no justice, creating a distance from the audience. Instead of getting caught up in this world, you are preoccupied with watching Franco try to do a bunch of green screen acting. Some actors can pull it off, but Franco isn't one of them. Along the way, we get introduced to a number of character, both new and old, including three witches - Theodora (Mila Kunis) Elenora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) - one of whom becomes quite "wicked" before the movie concludes. None of these characters are particularly interesting. For most of the film, I just sat waiting just to see how they would connect this with the Garland film. The third act is decent as we see the wizard finally use his magic to its fullest capability. Somewhere buried in this movie is a decent origin story, but it is not expertly explored here. This had the potential to be a new classic but ends up being another soulless adventure that tries to get by on pure visual gimmickry. The curtain gets pulled back for audiences before they even have a chance to be amazed. Rating: ** 1/2

Family feud

With the new fall TV season quickly approaching comes the announcement of a new Survivor. The big twist for this next installment, dubbed 'Blood vs. Water', is that returning players will be squaring off against a tribe of their family members. For more on what you can expect this season and who will be a part of the cast, here's the story from EW.com:

Jeff Probst already announced on Entertainment Weekly Radio that the next season of Survivor — subtitled Blood vs. Water — would feature returning Survivor contestants playing with (or, rather, against) their loved ones. Then, yesterday we revealed that one of those pairs would be Survivor: One World’s Kat Edorsson and her boyfriend, Big Brother season 12 winner Hayden Moss. Now the rest of the cast can be officially unveiled. And that cast will be playing in the most twist-heavy Survivor season ever.

Among the cast of Survivor: Blood vs. Water —which filmed this past May and June in the Philippines — will be a contestant from the group that started it all, as season 1 player Gervase Peterson returns to compete along with his niece Marissa. He will be joined by three million dollar winners — Tina Wesson from The Australian Outback (who will be playing with daughter Katie), Aras Baskauskas from Panama (with brother Vytas), and Rupert Boneham, who has never won in his three previous outings but did collect a million dollars as the winner of a special fan voted prize given away during the All-Stars season. He will be joined by his wife Laura.

In a surprise, the new cast also features three players from One World — which is generally considered one of the weakest Survivor seasons ever. Joining Kat will be Monica Culpepper (and husband Brad) and the controversial Colton Cumbie (and fiancé Caleb). Rounding out the cast are threepeaters Tyson Apostol (with girlfriend Rachel) and the former Candice Woodcock (now Candice Cody, with husband John), as well as Laura Morett from Samoa (with daughter Ciera).

Survivor host Jeff Probst gives credit for the loved ones concept to Survivor casting director Lynne Spillman. “It’s something she brought up for years,” Probst told EW.com. “But this year she pitched it and she said, ‘I think I can pull it off. I think I’ve found the right amount of couples.’ And once we started talking about it and talking about who would play, it went from something we thought about doing next year to something we were going to do this season. It was one of those moments were I left and went ‘Oh, everything’s different.’” As if having returning players playing against their loved ones was not a big enough twist, there are several other smaller changes, some of which could dramatically alter the way the game is played. Here they are:

* For the first time ever, the game will not be 39 days long, but rather 39-and-a-half days, as the couples will begin the game the night prior to day one with a new twist titled “Day Zero.” The 10 pairs will be sent out at sunset to 10 different locations to live by themselves for the night. They will then all meet up to be officially welcomed by host Jeff Probst and start the game the next morning. “The whole idea was to try and get them thinking and maybe believing that they would play as a pair,” says Probst.

* Just minutes after congregating, the returning players and their loved ones will be split into two different tribes, with the returning players making up the yellow Galang tribe and the newbies comprising the red Tadhana tribe. “Suddenly your partner becomes your adversary, your competition,” says Probst. “And that was the whole premise of Blood Vs. Water. How is that going to play out in a game where only one person can win?”

* First impressions can be key in the game like Survivor, and that will prove true here as just moments after meeting each other, each team will vote one member off their tribe. They will later be informed that these people have not been voted out of the game, but rather will be sent to Redemption Island, which makes its return after having been absent for the past three seasons. There they will battle to stay alive and reenter the game at a later point.

* Confused yet? Well, it gets even more confusing! Jeff Probst will then immediately offer each of the loved ones of the two people voted off the opportunity to trade places with them, meaning that if, say, returning player Tina is voted out of her tribe at the start, her daughter Katie can opt to take her place at Redemption Island instead, and Tina would then join the tribe of newbies.

* As mentioned, Redemption Island is back. Anyone voted out will be sent there and will then compete in a three person duel. The last place finisher in each contest is out of the game for good, while the top two remain. However, if someone’s loved one is still in the game they can take their loved one’s place before a duel. (So if, say, Monica is at Redemption Island but her husband Brad thinks he would do better at a duel involving strength, he can swap places with her, electing to do the duel while she takes his place on his tribe. They could then swap again at the next duel if it is a contest better suited to her strengths.) “That puts blood and water to the test,” says Probst. “And we’re gonna do it at every duel. So the first time early in the game, somebody may say ‘It’s just too early.” But as those duels increase and they get closer to what they think might be a merge, their strategy is going to start to change.”

* That’s not all when it comes to Redemption Island. The person who finishes first in each duel will also get to give a clue to the location of a hidden immunity idol to any person from either tribe that they choose. “There’s all these things you can do,” says Probst. “Because for a moment, even though you’re on the outest, furthest part of the game, you have a little bit of power.”

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 20)

Record: 66 - 58

Standing: Second in AL Central (7 games behind Detroit)

Well anything the Tribe did this past week would have been an improvement over the week before so I guess we should be positive, but I sure would like to see this team playing better than they are right now. After dropping the opening game to Minnesota, they managed to take the next two and the series, which is what they should do against lesser opponents. After heading out west, however, the Indians could only manage to win one game against the A's. Oakland is a decent team, so there's no shame to losing two games to them in their place, but it is just frustrating because they currently sit ahead of us in the Wild Card standings, so it would be have been helpful to gain some ground on them. Right now it seems like our focus should be on earning one of the wild card slots as Detroit shows no signs of relinquishing first place before the end of the year. Our efforts to procure a playoff spot begin this week as we finish up our west coast road trip with a three game set against the Anaheim Angels. Then we finally head back home to take on the Minnesota Twins in a weekend series. Neither of those teams are making the playoffs this year, so we need to rack up a lot of wins against them. Despite our recent struggles, it is still great to be playing meaningful baseball this late into the season. As the Indians try to make that late season push, I'll be there with them each step of the way rooting them on. Go Tribe!

It's always hardest on the adults

Check out this trailer for A.C.O.D. (which stand for Adult Child of Divorce), the latest indie dramedy that features one hell of a talented and funny cast.

Class act

When Neill Blomkamp's directorial debut came out in 2009, it felt like a bit of fresh air within the sci-fi genre. Finally we had a movie that gave audiences something more than your normal creature feature. With his follow-up effort, Elysium, Blomkamp has once again attempted to blend a social class allegory with science fiction.

Elysium refers to a large space station that hovers over Earth and houses the wealthiest, most elite people while everyone else remains on Earth, which has turned into one big third world country. Elysium's inhabitants not only live a posh lifestyle, they have access to the most advanced technologies, including machines that can cure you of any disease you have. Making sure that those perks remain used by only the privileged is the head of Homeland Security, Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster). She stops at no cost to keep Elysium pure, even if it means shooting down ships filled with people trying to sneak into their paradise.

On Earth, things are particularly are particularly grim for Max (Matt Damon). Raised in an orphanage, Max grew up running afoul of the law several times while bouncing from one dead end job to the next. While working at a robotics factory, Max is involved in a machine malfunction that leads to him receiving a lethal dose of radiation. With only five days left to live, Max sets out on a mission to get to Elysium so that he can cure himself.

The set-up for the movie offers tremendous promise. It offers a tantalizing future that is rooted in current day issues of immigration and class warfare. Damon, as always, is terrific in this role as you can sense the weariness his character has for his lifestyle even before he's given a death sentence. The film also has a lot of fan establishing this futuristic Earth that is run by robotic cops and a few corporate leaders who only periodically stay on Earth to make sure their businesses are still functioning properly.

The back half of the film cannot quite live up to the promise established in the beginning unfortunately. Max's quest to make it to Elysium is filled primarily with a lot of noisy action. In order to get on a ship headed to Elysium, Max aligns himself with Julio, a well-connected criminal who wants Max to get him some important information that could take down Elysium and its people. To help him with this mission, Julio fits Max with a robotic exoskeleton that makes him look like a beta version of Robocop. Standing in Max's way is Secretary Rhodes' hired gun, Agent Kruger. Kruger is a rogue thug played by a nearly unrecognizable Sharlto Copley.

Kruger and Max go toe-to-toe on a couple of occasions as the movie progresses. I will admit that Blomkamp's filming of the scenes is impressive. He has a true visual flare for shooting action sequences that feel fresh and engaging. It's just a shame that the scene did nothing for me on an intellectual level. I kept wishing that those scenes would have been balanced out with more scenes of political discourse regarding Elysium's policies. With that said, a little of Foster's Secretary Rhodes goes a long way in this film. Foster is an Oscar winner and has delivered several great performances, but I have no clue what she was going for her as she takes on a baffling accent that is borderline laughable. Any potential for political intrigue is undercut by her performance.

At a time when so many films play it safe or give us the same old story, I respect Blomkamp for providing us with something that feels different. I just wish he would have had the guts to see it all the way through instead of relying on sheer action at the back end of the picture. While the movie may have some flaws, I'm certainly recommending it because I want to see films that takes risks like this get rewarded with viewers. Blomkamp may thumb his nose at the 1 percenters, but with Elysium, he is quickly proving that he belongs in an elite class of directors. Grade: B+

Getting hammered

Some people have been having some fun with the new Thor trailer that came out last week. First up we have Conan reprising a bit where he shows us why he doesn't think Chris Hemsworth is the right guy to be playing Thor.



Then someone thought it would be a good idea to smash up the new trailer with the world of Arrested Development. You can check out that end result, called 'Thorested Developement' below.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 19)

Record: 63 - 56

Standing: Third in AL Central (7 games behind Detroit)

Even yesterday's come from behind win against the Angels wasn't enough to buoy my spirits after a completely dismal week. Frankly I don't even want to talk about it. We can only hope this 10 day road trip that features the Tribe going against Minnesota, Oakland, and Anaheim puts them back on the right track (although tonight's loss to Minnesota certainly isn't a good sign). I gotta keep rooting for my team, but it's awfully tough to feel good about their postseason chances these days. Let's hope I'm singing a much different and happier tune next week. Until then, go Tribe!

Danny Ocean goes to war

Sorry for the glut of trailers this week, but they've been all good ones. Here's one for The Monuments Men, a movie that was in my Top 5 Most Anticipated for this year. The film stars George Clooney, (who also directs it), Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman. Check it out below.

Missed the Mark

From Indians.com

CLEVELAND -- The Indians brought Mark Reynolds in over the offseason to provide the kind of right-handed power the team had lacked in recent years. For one month, the all-or-nothing slugger lived up to expectations.

Reynolds' three-month tailspin since an amazing April led to Thursday's decision by Cleveland to designate the first baseman for assignment. The Indians have promoted reliever Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Columbus to give the bullpen an extra arm for the time being.

"He's a guy that carried us the first month of the season," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "And then from that point to here, it's been pretty rough. It was getting harder and harder to find at-bats so he could get hot, because I think we all felt like he had a streak in him."

Reynolds is now in a 10-day waiting period, during which he is likely to be either traded or released by the Indians. Other teams will have an opportunity to also claim Reynolds off waivers, which could lead to a trade or Cleveland could simply let him go.

Francona noted that Reynolds did not request to be moved, but indicated that the struggling slugger is not interested in accepting a Minor League assignment.

"He expressed that he did not want to go to Triple-A and play baseball," Francona said. "So we do know that. Now, it's 10 minutes after a game, but that's what he told us [Wednesday] night."

Through 99 games with Cleveland, which signed him over the winter to a one-year contract with a base salary of $6 million, Reynolds hit .215 with a .307 on-base percentage, .373 slugging percentage, 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 123 strikeouts. He opened the season as the Tribe's primary designated hitter, but he also helped out at first and third base.

Reynolds provided a powerful bat for Cleveland's lineup through May 6, when his batting average stood at .300. Over the first 28 games, he launched 10 home runs, collected 27 RBIs and posted a 1.026 OPS.

In the clubhouse, Reynolds was dubbed "Mega Mark" by his teammates for the tape-measure shots he was belting for the Tribe.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, Reynolds went as cold as he started hot.

"We knew when we got him that he wasn't a .300 hitter," Francona said. "He was hitting .300 and basically hitting everything in sight. And [explaining his slump] is probably not as easy as one sentence. The pitches he was hitting in April, he was either fouling, or sometimes you get one pitch in an at-bat, and he'd miss it or foul it and strike out.

"Earlier in the season, he was getting it, he was hitting it and he was doing a lot of damage."

Over the past 71 games dating back to May 7, Reynolds has posted the lowest batting average (.179) among qualified Major League players in that time period. His .532 OPS in that span rates as the second-lowest mark among big league hitters.

That three-month slump included just five home runs and 21 RBIs to go along with 96 strikeouts.

In parts of seven seasons in the Majors -- spent between stints with the D-backs, Orioles and Indians -- Reynolds has hit .233 with 196 home runs and 549 RBI in 952 games. Across the 2008-11 campaigns, he hit .231 with an average of 35 home runs, 92 RBI and 208 strikeouts per season.

While trying to balance keeping the Indians in the American League Central race with getting Reynolds going again at the plate, Francona had reduced the slugger's playing time in recent weeks. Surprising bench contributor Ryan Raburn -- who signed a two-year contract extension on Wednesday -- has garnered more time in the starting lineup.

"With Raburn swinging the bat the way he is, and [Mike] Aviles playing really well," Francona said, "it was becoming harder to get him to where he was going to be able to get hot. And then we needed a pitcher [due to Wednesday's 14-inning game].

"And I think it was becoming harder for Mark to handle not playing. It was just time to do what we did."

Guilmet offers some bullpen insurance for the Indians, who cycled through an assortment of arms in a extra-inning loss to the Tigers on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old right-hander, who appeared in one game for the Indians earlier this season, has posted a 1.95 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus this season.

For the time being, Francona noted that the Indians might proceed with an eight-man bullpen, which is something the club has done in multiple stretches throughout this season. The positional versatility of players such as Raburn, Aviles, Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana has made it easier to play short-handed on the bench.

"You always have to be cognizant of the fact that, if there's any injury somewhere, all of a sudden you're looking for that bat," Francona said. "But you have to make decisions. Obviously, going into [Thursday], from where we sit, we think we're a better team with an eight-man bullpen."

Justin Masterson, who is a leader on the mound and off the field for the Indians, does not believe the move to part ways with Reynolds will negatively affect the clubhouse.

"We've still got a lot of good guys," Masterson said. "I wouldn't say it's a huge distraction, really, for anybody. But, some may let it creep in more than others. In the end, everyone knows that if you just go out and perform and do your stuff, hopefully that takes care of it.

"It may not work out here at some point in time. But, it may work somewhere else."

Feeling froggy

After their successful comeback a couple of years ago, Kermit and the gang are heading back to the big screen and bringing a whole new crop of famous faces along with them. Here's your first look at Muppets Most Wanted set to come out next spring.

RBR: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

As I've mentioned on here before, I'm a sucker when it comes to movies about magic. When you couple that subject matter with a talented cast that features the likes of Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, and Jim Carrey, it should equal great success. It's too bad that the people behind The Incredible Burt Wonderstone seem to have no clue what to do with the interesting subject matter or its great actors. This comedy attempts to tell a story about a modern day magician. There are several ways you could take the story - you could do a riff on Sigfried and Roy and the odd nature of their working relationship, you could address how those "Magicians' Secrets Revealed" show have spoiled the fun of magic for a lot of people, you could deal with the rivalry between renegade street magic and more traditional magic. This film touches upon each of those storylines but never delves into any of them deeply enough or in any compelling fashion. Storyline issues aside, the root of the film's problem is their decision to make Carell's character such an insufferable boor. As Wonderstone he's initially portrayed in flashbacks as a sympathetic nerd who uses magic to escape the pains in his life. Once the film moves into present day, we're given no indication as to why he's become so obnoxious to everyone around him. This makes it difficult for us to have any interest in seeing him succeed when his career begins to suffer. The final blow comes during the film's final climatic scenes which reveal Wonderstone's grand illusion. It's not only disappointing to learn how the trick is done, its disturbing to see how unmagical it truly is. Frankly, the only magic trick I want to see now is for someone to make my memory of this movie disappear. Rating: **

Dark matter

With The Wolverine still fresh in theaters, we already begin to shift gears and get ready for the next Marvel entry. Here's the newest trailer for Thor: The Dark World

Inner Office workings

Audiences said goodbye to The Office this past May and now that it's over we're starting to get a look at what might have been. Here's an interesting video that will be included in the DVD/Blu-Ray of the final season that shows some famous actors originally auditions for the roles of Michael, Jim, Pam and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin crew. Watching it, it seems as if they made the right choices to go with the people that they did, but it's still funny to think of how different the show would have been had say Seth Rogen gotten the role of Dwight.

Do the Hustle

The last time Christian Bale was in a film by director David O. Russell, he was in quite the emaciated state playing a drug addict in The Fighter. Now that he's re-teamed with him, he's living life like a fat cat in the 70s. To see Bale and the rest of this all star cast which includes Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Jennifer Lawrence check out the trailer for American Hustle posted below.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 18)

Record: 62 - 49

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (3 games behind Detroit)

As I type, the Indians are in the middle of the first of four HUGE games against division rival, the Detroit Tigers. But before we talk about that series, let's discuss how we got here since this is my first opportunity to discuss the Tribe since before the All Star Break. The Indians had me worried when they got off to a shaky start to begin the second half of the season. Unimpressive outings against Minnesota and Seattle had me concerned that we were in line for yet another second half collapse. Since, then however, the team has played much better. They looked red hot during a homestand that saw the team sweep both the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox series was particularly fun since it involved a couple of walk-off wins (one of which I had the good fortune of seeing in person). This past weekend the team went down to Miami and managed to take two out of three from a Marlins team that is better than what their record suggest thanks to a good crop of young pitchers. All in all, the team is finding ways to win even when they aren't playing their best. The frustrating thing about this recent run is that the Tigers, currently in first in the AL Central, and the Royals, currently third, have played just as well so there really has been no change to the standings. The one positive about our recent good play is that we have managed to move up into sole possession of the second wild card spot. If the season were to end today, we would be in the playoffs. All of that brings us to the start of this series with Detroit. It is a four game series that could shake up the division depending on how many games we win. This is the last time the Tigers will be playing in Cleveland this season so we'll want to have as good of a showing as possible. After Detroit leaves, the Angels come into town for a weekend series. Anaheim had high hopes coming into the season but have struggled all year. Still they are not a team to take lightly and we'll need to avoid having any sort of hangover effect after the Detroit series. This a VERY big week for the Indians and I hope everyone comes out to support this team. Win or lose I'm going to be loving every minute of it. Go Tribe!

RBR: Side Effects

It feels like it's been forever since I actually saw this film, but I'm just now getting around to putting up my review. Let's see how well I can remember my thoughts on it. Rooney Mara stars as Emily, a young woman who is struggling after the recent release of her husband (Channing Tatum) who was doing prison time for insider trading. Emily begins seeing a therapist (Jude Law) who prescribes a new drug to help her deal with her issues. A side effect of the drug is that it causes her to sleepwalk. During one of her sleepwalking episodes she unknowingly stabs her husband with a knife, killing him. From there the film takes several twists and turns as it is unclear as to who truly is responsible for this death. Directed by Steven Soderbergh in what is apparently his last film, Side Effects begins very compelling. Soderbergh creates a great sense of mystery and suspense. The social commentary on the over-reliance on prescription medication also feels fresh and compelling. The film somewhat comes off the rails in the second half with a few too many twists that make it confusing as to some of the characters' motives for their actions and how they benefitted from them. By the film's end you're left unsure as to whether or not the right people got their comeuppance or not. Still, the film is mostly enjoyable thanks to Soderbergh style, which will be missed if he makes his retirement stick. Fans of thrillers would be well off if they made an effort to check this film out. It's an easy prescription for me to fill.

Bad to the brittle bone

The Jackass crew have developed a new movie called Bad Grandpa. You'll notice this one has a more clear narrative than their previous films, which were extended versions of their TV show. Here's your first look at Johnny Knoxville playing Irving Zisman as he creates havoc across the country while toting around his "grandson".

Bourne to run

From EW.com:

The legacy of Jason Bourne will continue… but likely without Jason Bourne.

Universal has hired screenwriter Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes) to pen the next chapter in the Bourne franchise, which will remain focused on Jeremy Renner’s drug-enhanced super-soldier, Aaron Cross. (Deadline initially reported the news.) Renner took the reins from Matt Damon after the original Bourne trilogy concluded with 2007′s Bourne Ultimatum. Last year’s Bourne Legacy, which pitted Cross against Edward Norton’s shady government handler, was a modest hit, grossing $276 million worldwide. Though that didn’t equal Damon’s output in Ultimatum ($443 million), it was more than the original 2002 franchise-starter.

Producer Frank Marshall has frequently mentioned his wish to unite Damon and Renner in a Bourne film, but it remains unclear how the politics would work. (Damon has repeatedly insisted he won’t do another Bourne without director Paul Greengrass, and he doesn’t have the best relationship with Legacy director Tony Gilroy.) There’s some hope, since Peckham wrote the script for Invictus, which earned Damon an Oscar nomination, and the new Bourne installment — The Bourne Infinity? The Bourne Ubiquity? — didn’t immediately announce a director… Stay tuned.

Home sweet home

You may have noticed that my blog has been a bit dead for the past two weeks. The reason being is that I've been busy dealing with a few personal matters. First, my sister got married a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception and I couldn't be happier for her and her new husband.

After that, I moved back to northeast Ohio. Even with my humble belongings, the move was still quite the undertaking. But now I am back home where all of my family is and I couldn't be happier. This truly feels like a new start for me!

Hopefully now I can get back into the swing of things and provide all of you with a steady dose of good content. Thanks for putting up with my delay. We can now resume with our normal programming!

Tribe Watch '13 (All Star Break)

Record: 51 - 44

Standing: Second in AL Central (1.5 games behind Detroit)

Over the weekend, the Indians TV announcers mentioned how manager Terry Francona spoke with the team and promoted the idea of finishing strong to close out the first half of the season. It appears that the Tribe took those words to heart as they took two out of three from Toronto and then swept the Kansas City Royals. Now as the team takes off for a few days before transitioning into the second half, we can examine where they currently stand. I think the best way to define my feelings is cautiously optimistic. The Indians have a better record than they did at this point last year and are relatively healthy. The weak schedule in the second half also works in their favor. But before we can pencil this team into a postseason slot, there are a few things that should be addressed. First of all, while our overall record is good, we have played terribly against Detroit, Boston, and New York. Two of those three teams are in first place in their respective divisions. For this team to be seen as legitimate contenders, we need to play better against good teams. There's also a couple players who need to do more offensively. Mark Reynolds in particular has been trending downward when it comes to hitting. We need him to play better to shore up our lineup. And of course, we could always use more pitching. The starters, which not great, have performed admirably and should be improved when Zach McAllister returns. The bullpen. however, seems like it could use some additions. Hopefully as the trade deadline nears some moves can be made to address these issues. For now, let's enjoy the time off and get ready to come out fighting come Friday when we begin a weekend series with the Twins in Minnesota. I'm looking forward to wild and fun second half. Go Tribe!

RBR: A Good Day to Die Hard

I don't write as many reviews for this blog that I do because it's a job or some responsibility, I enjoy it. It's enjoyable because I love movies. Even when a film is bad, there can usually be something enjoyable that can be derived from its awfulness. So when I say that watching the latest entry in the Die Hard was one of the most unpleasant experiences I had watching a film, you can know that it's not being said out of hyperbole. Frankly, this movie does not even feel as if belongs in the same universe as the previous John McClane films. This seems to be a failure at all levels of recognizing what made the franchise enjoyable in the first place. One such trademark was classic villains. Actors like Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons brought energy to their characters and made for great foils against Bruce Willis. In this film, the story is so convoluted that it is unclear who exactly is the primary antagonist. It just seems that every character in this universe has some level of evil to them, leaving McClane no choice but to shoot at anything that moves. This, then weakens the McClane character. One of his best features is the way he disrupts the villain's master plan. Here, neither he nor the audience, have a clue or a care as to who should be stopped or why. The fact that the film is set in Russia (McClane is visiting to try to save his son, who is on trial for murder) also proves to be a mistake. It's one thing for McClane to be a one man wrecking crew in his own country for the sake of saving it. Doing such wreckless acts of violence elsewhere comes off as mean and irresponsible. I could also criticize the cartoonish level that the violence takes on in the film, remarking that no human being could live through half the things that McClane does, but that's actually been a part of the series since the start. What I can complain though is the fake nature in which these over-the-top scenes are filmed. With the earlier films, directors had to be creative to make you believe he could survive those stunts. But with the excess use of CGI in this film, the audience gets completely taken out of the moment because none of it looks real or believable. Overall, there is such a pure lack of fun in this film. Even McClane's signature line (which was thankfully back to its R-rated completeness) is done in a lazy, throwaway manner. This fifth entry would suggest that the franchise has been tapped out of its creativity and usefulness, but I certainly hope that they make another film just so that the character can go out on a better note than this. If this is the end, then it's going out on a sad day to die hard. Rating: **

Stay for the Poppins

Apparently, getting Mary Poppins to the silver screen was anything but Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Here's the first trailer for Saving Mr. Banks, the story of Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) and his attempts to convince author PL Travers (Emma Thompson) to turn her book into a movie.

Forging a new Bond

Big news regarding the next installment in the James Bond franchise...

From comingsoon.net:

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, EON Productions; Gary Barber, Chairman & CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc, and Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that Daniel Craig will once again return as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film and Sam Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan. The film is set for release in UK theaters on October 23, 2015 and in US theaters on November 6, 2015 (currently the same date as Ant-Man and Peanuts).

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, took in $1.1 billion worldwide and set a new mark as the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK; it was the best-selling Bond film on DVD/Blu-ray and was the most critically acclaimed film in the history of the longest-running film franchise.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, "Following the extraordinary success of 'Skyfall,' we're really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.

"I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct 'Bond 24.' I very much look forward to taking up the reins again, and to working with Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for a second time, said Mendes.

Barber added, We are thrilled to reunite the extraordinary talents of director Sam Mendes with our star Daniel Craig for the next great Bond adventure. He added, "As evidenced by the phenomenal success of our last collaboration with EON Productions and Sony, the incredible legacy of this 51-year-old franchise continues to amaze."

Lynton and Pascal said, "It's a privilege to work on the Bond films. EON, John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with an extraordinary follow up to 'Skyfall' and we, along with our partners at MGM, can't wait to share this new chapter with audiences all over the world."

Delivering the news bit by bit

Of course, we all cannot wait until Anchorman 2 arrives in theaters later this year. In the meantime, why not look back at the first movie from a unique perspective. Someone has recreated the film by turning the cast into 8 bit characters. It's pretty funny and it'll have you reciting your favorite lines all over again.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 14)

Record: 46 - 42

Standing: Second in AL Central (2.5 games behind Detroit)

It looked like the Indians were going to continue their winning ways after that impressive four game sweep of the White Sox the weekend before. The Tribe managed to win the first game of the series against the Kansas City Royals, but then dropped the last two to end their long road trip on a bit of a down note. Upon returning home, it appeared as if the team had some jet lag and they went on to lose the first two games against the Tigers. Things would have been very bleak had the Indians not managed to pull off a victory yesterday. With that win, the team still now has a chance at earning a split with Detroit if they manage to win tonight. One of the key issues during the losing streak this past week was poor pitching. In some cases it was the starters not having good outings. When they did have a good start, then it seemed to be the bullpen that struggled. Even though we won yesterday, the bullpen still blew a 5-run lead before the Indians managed to come back and win it for good. Clearly, our staff has to step up their game if they want to remain competitive in the division. But it's also time to start thinking about who we can possibly get in a trade to help shore up this staff. As we hit the halfway point in the season, it's time for us to make the moves needed in order to make sure we play postseason baseball. Speaking of the halfway point, this is the final week of the season before the All Star Break. After tonight's game with Detroit, we have a pair of three game series at home with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals. The Jays have been steadily improving since getting off to a horrendous start, so it would be nice if we could cool them off again. Plus, we need to start playing better against teams from the AL East. As for the Royals, we've played them very well thus far this season, so let's hope we can keep that up. We certainly don't want them to gain any ground on us and believe they still have a chance in the division. It certainly would be nice to head into the break being in first place, so let's cheer on this team and make it happen. Go Tribe!

Father time

The teaser was released a few weeks ago and now here's your first full look at Delivery Man, the new dramedy starring Vince Vaughn as a man who has unknowingly fathered over 500 kids.

Buddy Sis-tem

Paul Feig may not be a household name, but chances are you've enjoyed one of his comedy projects. He's created critically acclaimed shows (Freaks & Geeks), directed well known sitcoms (The Office) and even found himself in front of the camera as well (playing biology teacher Mr. Poole on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Feig finally garnered some mainstream success when he directed Bridesmaids, a film that attempted to show that the R-rated comedy is not just a man's territory. In his latest effort, The Heat, Feig once again shows that the ladies can be just as foul as any guy around.

The Heat stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as polar opposite cops who are forced together to bring down a major drug dealer. Bullock is the straight-laced workaholic cop while McCarthy is a foul-mouthed loner cop who just wants to clean up her town. Both of these two have played these type of characters before so they know what to do in order to yield laughs out of the archetype, but I did wonder throughout the film if it would have been better for them to try and play the opposite role instead. My guess is that I would have given the film more credit, but the laughs probably wouldn't have been as frequent.

The buddy cop genre has certainly been around for a while and has always yielded mixed results. For every Lethal Weapon there's an I Spy. Credit to Feig who recognizes that he's mining familiar territory and yet still finds a way to make it work. He knows what tropes to play for parody and which to keep straight in order to make the story still feel like it has consequences. A lot of this is done through the scenes that give us a glimpse into the family of McCarthy's character. The interactions she has with her Bostonian clan produce some of the biggest laughs, as well as a few serious moments.

The one drawback to the film is an issue that plagued Bridesmaids as well. There were too many scenes that forced the agenda that women can be crass as well. To me funny is funny, regardless of who's telling the joke. I get no greater satisfaction seeing McCarthy curse up a blue storm than I would Will Ferrell or any other male comedian. I understand the need to show this off since so few women have actually tried to be raunchy, but I hope this becomes less frequent. Let's the jokes be organic to the story rather than be included simply to try and prove a point.

The good news for The Heat is that for as many forced jokes, there's at least twice as many well earned laughs. Bullock and McCarthy have a good chemistry together to the point where I would actually be interested in seeing them team up again, whether it was for a sequel reuniting these characters or in a completely separate project. The film is also buoyed by the presence of several other funny people in smaller roles including Tony Hale, Jane Curtin, Marlon Wayans, and SNL's Taran Killam. Each of these actors know how to get a laugh out of the character they are playing instead of us just laughing at the mere presence of them showing up in the movie.

The interesting thing about this movie is that I'm not quite sure how it will play with me when I attempt to rewatch it a few years from now. Some comedies like The Other Guys have aged well, while others simply don't produce the same number of laughs when you know what's coming. All I can say is that on my first viewing I laughed a lot more than I expected. The Heat creates another successful entry into the familiar buddy cop genre thanks to the deft directing of Paul Feig and the strong chemistry of its two female leads. Grade: B+

Night cap

For one reason or another, certain sketches on Saturday Night Live are created and rehearsed, but ultimately never make it onto the live broadcast. Here are a pair of sketches cut after dress rehearsal that I felt deserved a look thanks to NBC actually posting them on their website. The first was cut from when Zach Galifianakis hosted. I'll have to assume it was timing reasons because this seems to be too funny not to have included in the show.




The second is even more fascinating. It comes from the Justin Bieber episode. Instead of trying to explain why this didn't work, I'll let Bill Hader and a pair of SNL writers do it as they commentate on the sketch and explain why it became the "greatest trainwreck" ever.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 13)

Record: 44 - 38

Standing: Tied for first place in the AL Central

It was looking initially like it would be another uneventful week. We began by splitting the four game set with the Orioles in which we looked like we could have easily won all four games or lost all four games. Still, splitting against a solid team like Baltimore was positive. The start of the four game series with the White Sox made it seem as if we were in for an ominous weekend. In the first game of a double-header, our starter is unable to get out of the first inning and put the Indians in an early five-run deficit. However, the Tribe finally woke up and managed to clobber Chicago 19-10 in the first game. Then then had a four run 9th inning in the second game that allowed to come back and win that won as well. The Indians then proceed to sweep the entire four games capping it off today with a shutout victory by Justin Masterson. Those first three games against Chicago showed the Indians tenacity. They not only came from behind in each of those games, but they did so when it would have been much easier to just throw in the towel. Friday's double header lasted over seven hours to get those two games in. Between the length of the games and the amount of innings that the bullpen had to throw because of poor starting pitching, it's amazing we came away with any wins. And yet, this team pulled through and had an amazing weekend. To do it against those losers from Chicago made it even sweeter. Perhaps the best news of all to come out of the Tribe's successful weekend is the fact that they have climbed back up into first place, now tied with Detroit, who had a rough week. We're starting to see guys like Nick Swisher get hot again, so it seems like this team isn't about to die like they have the past years. We can improve our standing in the division further this week as we play another pair of divisional opponents. This long road trip finishes up this week as we make a stop in Kansas City to play the Royals for 3 games. Then we head home this weekend for a big series against the Tigers. The outcome of that series could really cement who's the best in this division as we head into the All Star Break. As we head into the 4th of July, let's hope the Indians provide some fireworks of their own. Go Tribe!

Hell to pay

I know we've already seen a pair of horror comedies this year (A Haunted House, Scary Movie 5), so I can understand if there's some viewer fatigue for this genre. That said, I couldn't help but post the trailer for yet another movie that spoofs the horror genre. Hell Baby seems to have the edge over those previous films if for no other reason than it's been written and directed by the guys behind Reno: 911. I certainly laughed a lot watching the trailer, so I hope the true for the movie as a whole as well.

Die hardly

The old adage goes, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". This is a phrase that doesn't exactly hold true in Hollywood. Instead, studios tend to repeat history because they do remember the past. When a formula works, they reuse it time and time again. One of the most frequently used formulas is the Die Hard formula. For the past 25 years since the original Bruce Willis film hit theaters, Hollywood has frequently used the 'one man overcomes the odds to defeat a group of evil terrorists' trope. It's one thing when we are talking about a sequel to the franchise (which we already saw this year). It's another thing when it's a completely separate film that borrows the framework. So then, what are we to make of a film that not only uses the trope but then also uses the exact same context and setup as another film that was released mere months before it?

That is the question were left answering as White House Down, the latest film from master of disaster Roland Emmerich, hits theaters. Just like Olympus Has Fallen (a film which I have yet to see) did this past spring, our country has been put into peril as terrorists infiltrate the White House and hold our government hostage. Playing the role of John McLain this time (right down to the white tank top) is Channing Tatum playing John Cale, a security guard for the Speaker of the House who has aspiration of working for the Secret Service.

When all hell breaks loose, Cale finds himself as the lone guy able to help protect President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx, doing a not so subtle job of actually playing President Obama). The two scamper through the White House hoping to avoid death while also trying to eliminate the bad guys. Of course, the film finds time to have this racially mismatched duo crack wise with each other during the down moments, which feels cribbed from Die Hard 3.

We then move on to borrowing from the fourth Die Hard film as the protagonist's kid is put into peril. In this case, the moppet is Joey King, playing Cale's daughter. She's a political junkie who happened to be visiting the White House with her father at the time of the attacks. And of course, to remind us that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, we get several scenes of her finding ways of talking tough and standing up to the terrorists, even though most 10 years would be absolutely petrified by the events that occur in the film.

And if you thought that Die Hard 2 was ignored, you'd be wrong. These domestic terrorists are able to gain access to these government buildings with embarrassing ease largely because of their being at least one, if not more, moles within the President's administration. Apparently, in this America, the concept of background checks is the only thing that is too far-fetched.

I will grant you that director Roland Emmerich will never be confused as someone who makes sophisticated films. If you've seen any of his previous films, you'll know that they require you to stop thinking and just enjoy the goofy ride. I've been able to do that with some of his past films because they are so outlandish in their attempts at putting people in peril. However, after completely destroying the world in 2012, he really had no way of topping himself and thus this film feels like a let down. There are a few moments of zany inspiration, like a rocket launcher being used during a car chase on the front lawn of the White House, but it overall just felt like a noisy rerun of better action films.

There's an attempt to add some gravitas to the picture through its casting. James Woods is the retiring head of the Secret Service. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a Secret Service agent. And Richard Jenkins plays the aforementioned Speaker of the House. They all manage to keep a straight face through this silly plot, but their presence alone isn't enough to improve the overall quality of the film. As for Tatum and Foxx, they seem to be having fun in their respective roles, but they also come off as pale imitations of the real or fictional person they are emulating.

For a film like this to work, there needs to be a true sense of fun, which is absent here. You have to slog through a half hour of obvious exposition to set up every single plot payoff that will come in the film's finale. And as the action starts to pick up, the film spends too much time trying to figure out how reverent it should be when it comes to depicting a White House under siege. I also could have done with one or two fewer twists that come near the films end that unnecessarily overcomplicate the film's plot. I don't have a problem when a film liberally borrows from a successful formula, but White House Down follows it so dutifully that it prevents the film from being the escapist fun that it should be. Grade: C

Check this out

A big moment occurred this past week on The Price is Right. A game that many thought had been long retired made a glorious return. After a 4 year absence, Check Game came back all refurbished and looking good. Even if people hardly use checks anymore, it's still great to see this classic return to the price game rotation. You can watch it's first playing below.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 12)

Record: 38 - 36

Standing: Second in AL Central (4 games behind Detroit)

A rather ho hum week for the Tribe. They managed to take two out of thee from both Kansas City and Minnesota. I certainly can't complain about that. Winning series is the name of the game and if we can keep that up, we'll be in good shape. Right now though, there's not a lot of energy or excitement behind the wins. We're not hitting as well as we could. We're not pitching as well as we could. We're doing just enough to eke out wins. For now that's ok, especially against divisional opponents. The wins against KC certainly helped put some separation between us and them for now. But I'd certainly like to see some more of that magic that we had during our really good stretch a month ago. Right now, I think a few key injuries are preventing that. Those won't last, so hopefully that means we can get that spark back sooner rather than later. In the meantime, let's just keep winnings and you'll find I'll have very little to complain about. Looking ahead to this week, we begin a lengthy road trip that involves playing a pair of 4-game series; first against Baltimore and then against the White Sox. Baltimore is showing that their postseason appearance last year wasn't a fluke. The Indians have not played well thus far against AL East teams, so it would be nice if that would begin to change. As for Chicago, they may have plummeted to the bottom of our division, but that doesn't mean we should take them lightly. I'd love to see us take advantage of their poor play and really beat up on them. If they do, you'll be looking at one very happy Indians fan come next week. Go Tribe!

Legend...wait for it...ary

Great Odin's raven! It's actual footage from Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. No more teasers folks. Sit back, put on some jazz flute, and take in your first look at the new adventures of the Channel 4 News Team.

Fight or flight

Back in 2006, the attempt to reboot the Superman franchise seemed like a sure bet. Comic book movies had been growing in popularity and this film was being directed by a man who had already successfully kick-started a different comic book movie franchise. And yet despite all the things it had going for it, Superman Returns never really took flight. There were several theories as to why it didn't catch on with the public. Some went as far as to say that perhaps a good Superman movie was impossible given the dramatic limitations associated with his character.

Fast forward to 2012 where Marvel sees huge success with The Avengers film. Not to be outdone, DC Comics became dead set on making a Justice League movie, in order to have their own successful film featuring a group of superheroes. But for that to happen, they need to once again re-establish the characters individually. Enter Man of Steel, the latest attempt at establishing the Superman franchise.

Once again, we begin with a telling of the familiar story of how Kal-El was sent to Earth, Smallville, Kansas to be exact, because his home planet is on the brink of extinction. Superman's father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), struggles with the decision to send his son away while also dealing with the treasonous General Zod (Michael Shannon), who differs philosophically from him on how the future of Krypton should be handled. The end result is General Zod being sent away to a limbo prison known as the Phantom Zone; this confinement is short-lived, however, as the destruction of Krypton enables Zod to become free

The film hits its stride as the scene shifts to Earth and focuses on Kal-El, now Clark Kent, and his upbringing. The film takes a non-linear approach to show how Clark has struggled with being different from everyone else, yet unable to show this to the world. Kevin Costner playing Clark's Earth father Jonathan is excellent in his scenes. He adds an emotional heft to his scenes that almost make it feel like he's in a different movie than everyone else. You feel the struggles he goes through to give protect Clark from the rest of the world while also protecting the rest of the world from Clark. The other interesting thing about this portion of the film is the decision to make Clark a wandering loner once he becomes an adult. Unsure of who he is or why he's different, Clark migrates from one town to the next hoping to avoid arousing suspicion. I like the Bruce Banner/Hulk approach they take to depicting this character and since it seems like we aren't going to be seeing another film solely featuring the big green guy anytime soon, why not use it here.

Though familiar, this front half of the film largely works. The back end of the picture is a different story as the plot shifts to the central conflict between Superman and Zod, who has come to Earth seeking Superman with plans to use him as a way to create a new Krypton. From the moment these two meet the film turn into a seemingly endless collection of action scenes that never find a way of differentiating from each other. It is one fistfight after another as Superman takes on Zod and his group of devoted soldiers. With Zod's group all being Kryptonians, they too have the same powers as Superman on Earth, which means their battles are quite epic and destructive. One of the driving narratives in all Superman stories, this film included, is Superman's devotion to Earth and to protect its citizens. Those motives can be questioned here given the way he leaves multiple towns in complete ruin in an effort to stop Zod.

Christopher Nolan's presence as a producer for the film does not seem like it was enough to counter director Zach Snyder's (300, Watchmen) compulsion for mind-numbing action. With his Batman trilogy, Nolan focused more on theme and narrative. Snyder takes an approach more akin to the Transformers franchise where the focus is on maximizing carnage instead of developing a compelling story. By the time the movie reaches its inevitable end, I felt exhausted, not enthralled.

While Man of Steel is a flawed film, I don't feel as if its problems set the franchise back in the same way that Returns did. This film suitably establishes the key pieces that can be used to set up future films. British actor Henry Cavill, though occasionally wooden in his delivery, has the perfect look for the role and I'm certainly interested to see what he could do in this role a second time. Amy Adams is also good as a more modern take on Lois Lane. In a way, Man of Steel works similarly to the first film of his Marvel counterpart, Captain America. Both films have their flaws, but succeed in at least showing us that these modern defenders of America still have a place in our post-modern society. Grade: C+

Balls to the Wall

After aiming at families with Hugo, Martin Scorcese returns to more adult fare with his latest, The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Matthew McConaughey, and Jonah Hill. This looks to be in the vein of Goodfellas, as it focuses on the excesses of people in power but you all know that it will inevitably all come crashing down on them. You can check out the first trailer for the film below.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 11)

Record: 34-34

Standing: Second in AL Central (4.5 games behind Detroit)

The Indians had hit rock bottom the week prior as they were in the midst of an eight game losing streak and an even longer losing streak on the road. Thankfully this past week has seen some improvement in the team, at least as it relates to winning. The Tribe manages to take two out of three from both the Rangers in Texas and against the Nationals at home. I would not say that the wins were dominating, but the key for this team right now is to win series. If they do that on a consistent basis, they can compete. Clearly there are still guys offensively who are slumping. The good news is that slumps don't last forever, so they'll start to get hot again before you know it. The other positive for this team is that the schedule gets a lot easier from here on out. Only about a third of the Indians' remaining games will be against teams who currently have a winning record. It's important though that we continue to stay competitive right now for several reasons. One is because you don't want to fall too far behind Detroit. If they gain too much of a lead in the division, we'll lose some of our motivation to win. Second, if the front office feels like we are close, they'll be more compelled to be active near the trading deadline, which would mean hopefully making a move that would bring in a key piece to help fill in the gaps. Winning this week will be particularly important since we'll be facing off against a pair of divisional rivals. First, we begin a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals starting tonight. Kansas City has been on a roll recently and they are only a half game behind us in the standings. It'll be important to beat them so as to remain in second place. Then this weekend we take on the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are a team that we should beat on paper, but when it comes to divisional rivals, there's no such thing as a guarantee. Both series will be in Cleveland, where we've played much better. Let's hope the city of Cleveland keeps coming out to support this team. I'd love to see Progressive Field to be rocking all week long. Go Tribe!

Pucker up

A few weeks, a pair of pitchers from the Cleveland Indians, Zach McAllister and Vinnie Pestano, did a video for the MLB Fan Cave while in New York. They created a mobile Kiss Cam they took around the city for unsuspecting citizens to participate in. I like these efforts to get athletes more involved with the fans and to show their funny side as well. You can check out their hijinx below.

Omen holiday

Nearly five years ago to the day, I made a post on my blog about a viral video featuring Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel dealing with the apocalypse. Fast forward to today and that short clip has mushroomed into a full fledged movie. This is the End features Rogen and Baruchel, as well some of their other famous friends like James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride playing exaggerated versions of themselves as they deal with the end of days.

The film begins with Franco throwing a house party for all of his famous Hollywood friends. This of course leads to several celebrity cameos having fun with their real life personalities. For instance, you'll never be able to look at Michael Cera the same way after having seen this movie. Things turn cataclysmic in a hurry, however, as massive sinkholes develop, sending most of the party guests to their death. The central cast initially survive and barricade themselves in Franco's house unsure of what's happening.

It doesn't take long before the gang goes all Lord of the Flies on each other as they squabble over food rations, sleeping arrangements, and facing their mortality. The amount of humor your derive from these scenes will vary greatly. For me, I found there to be far more misses than hits when it came to the jokes. What was interesting is that most of the scenes weren't unfunny. Rather it's that I found myself sitting there nodding in agreement with what was being said rather than laughing at the anarchy. Because these guys are playing versions of themselves, a lot of the jokes were at the expense of each other. They would mock their personality traits or their bad movies or just their general phoniness. While some will be amused by the self-deprecating nature of the humor, I found myself wondering if these guys shouldn't be taking these comments more seriously and reevaluate their career choices.

Making the film more problematic is the tone that's created surrounding the humor. There are some truly disturbing scenes, especially early on as people meet their untimely death. I realize that the apocalypse isn't exactly a day in the park, but it was hard for me to appreciate the film's humor given the unpleasant setting that it had established. A lot of the horror and craziness of the film felt more like something from Sam Raimi, which is not a genre that I'm particularly fond of.

Despite placing the film within a very specific context, This is the End too often feels disjointed. The film moves from one comedy bit to the next with no sense of progression. Ideas and jokes are introduced but very few get paid off by the end of the film. You'll have things like Emma Watson randomly show up which provides the guys with an opportunity to make a few rape jokes and then she's gone and they move onto the next riff. You begin to see that this has been a project that's been percolating for 5 (or more) years. They have this collection of various ideas that may work individually but really don't add up to anything worthwhile.

I will give credit though for giving the right cast members the appropriate personalities in the film. For instance, Jay Baruchel is intended to serve as the heart and humanity of the film, which works considering he's probably the most likeable and least "Hollywood" of the bunch. Meanwhile, Danny McBride does what he does best by playing the douchy a**hole and Jonah Hill is a disingenuous prick. I probably would have struggled with the film even more than I did had they tried to force unnatural personalities onto any of these guys.

It's interesting that this film comes right off the heels of The Internship. In many ways these films couldn't be more different. While I seem to be in disagreement with a lot of other critics on both of these films, a lot of what my reviews for both pictures come down to is mood. The Internship offered a sunny optimism that infectiously made me enjoy all of the characters in the film. I'd much rather spend two hours with that cast than I would with the dreary, unpleasant narcissism that's on display in This is the End.

After watching this movie, it's become clear that this was an idea that worked as a short viral video and should have stayed at that. As a feature length movie, this is nothing more than a poorly cobbled together collection of bits, some of which are admittedly very funny, that really don't add up to anything more than a crass vanity project for Rogen and co. I actually could do a whole separate post analyzing why the film's final joke doesn't work at all, but given that it features another surprise cameo, I won't discuss it any further here. I have been a fan of a lot of these guys' work in the past, but there have been a lot of misfires by them, Rogen in particular, recently that make me question whether or not I should continue seeing their future films. Unless some drastic changes are made, I'm afraid "this is the end" for me watching this work. Grade: C

Seeing things

Last year, a documentary called Room 237 generated some buzz by offering a Critical Theory approach to examining Stanley Kubrick's film, The Shining. The film posits several theories about hidden meanings supposedly embedded into the film. For fans of the horror film, this offered a tantalizing look into some potential conspiracy theories. If you're not familiar with this documentary, here's the trailer for it.




The reason why I mention Room 237 is because today a video was released for a film called Spook Central, which supposedly gives the same critical treatment to Ghostbusters. If this film is legit, I will be very excited to see it. However, there are some elements to it that suggest this is a hoax rather than the real deal. While the voiceovers in the trailer sound legit, the editing of the video clips is rather rough and unpolished. Then there's the fact that some websites are reporting that "Ivo Shandor" directed this film (Shandor was a character in the film) and yet the video shows Michael Beck as the director. Other names listed in the credits of the video are of people who are dead. So who knows what to think at this point. If it turns out to be bogus, it's still fun to watch and ponder if such a film could be made. Decide for yourself by watching the video below.