Murphy's law

From indians.com

CLEVELAND -- The Indians headed into the offseason with right field identified as an area to potentially upgrade. Cleveland believes it may have found a solution in veteran David Murphy.

According to multiple sources, the Indians have reached an agreement with Murphy on a two-year, $12 million contract that includes a club option for 2016. Murphy completed a physical with Cleveland on Thursday, but there are still steps to finalize in the signing process.

The Indians will likely make an official announcement on Monday.

The left-handed-hitting Murphy would project to be the primary right fielder for the Indians, who used Drew Stubbs in the starting role last season. Stubbs' offensive struggles, especially against right-handed pitching, combined with the fact that he is eligible for arbitration, make him a candidate to either be traded or non-tendered.

Should Cleveland choose to keep Stubbs in the fold, he could serve as a fourth outfielder, taking starts in right field against left-handed pitchers. Ryan Raburn, who filled that type of backup role last season, is also under contract for 2014 for the Indians. Left and center field are currently occupied by Michael Brantley and Michael Bourn, respectively.

The 32-year-old Murphy has spent parts of eight season in the Major Leagues between stints with the Red Sox and Rangers. He suited up for the Red Sox in the 2006 and '07 seasons, when Indians manager Terry Francona was the manager in Boston.

Last season, Murphy posted a .220/.282/.374 slash line with 13 home runs, 26 doubles and 45 RBIs in 142 games (476 plate appearances) for Texas, which used him as a part-time outfielder and pinch-hitter as the season progressed. It was a disappointing dropoff from Murphy's showing in 2012, when he hit .304 with 15 homers, 61 RBIs and an .859 OPS for the Rangers.

Murphy, who earned $5.775 million last season, has spent the majority of his career in left field, but he has experience at all three outfield spots. Over the course of his eight seasons, he has also posted a .280 average and an .816 OPS against left-handed pitchers, compared to a .249 average and .657 OPS against righties.

Interestingly, the signing was initially reported by Texas sportswriter Jamie Kelly, who was told by one of her followers on Twitter that Murphy's daughter was spreading the word at daycare. When Murphy arrived to pick her up, he confirmed the news to the teachers.

Stubbs -- acquired from the Reds in a three-team, nine-player trade last winter -- moved from center field to right for the Indians and hit .233 with 10 homers, 45 RBIs and a .665 OPS in 146 games. Stubbs hit just .216 (.637 OPS) against right-handed pitching on the season and slumped to a .192 average (.572 OPS) in September.

Through arbitration, the 29-year-old Stubbs earned $2.825 million last season and would be scheduled for a raise this offseason.

Raburn, who signed a two-year extension with the Indians in August, hit .272 with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .902 OPS in 87 games as a role player last season. The right-handed-hitting utility man made 46 starts in right field and ended the season batting .308 with a 1.020 OPS against left-handed pitchers.

RBR: World War Z

I put the blame for how horrible Quantum of Solace was squarely on director Marc Forster. As a result, I had decided that I would not watch or support any future film he would do. But with enough time having passed and with a lack of better options at the time at Redbox, I decided to check out his latest film, the zombie apocalypse thriller, World War Z. This is not necessarily a genre I am particularly fond of, but when it offers something interesting, like the comedic take in Zombieland, I take somewhat of an interest. This is an adaptation from a popular book, but from what I understand it takes some significant liberties with the story. Brad Pitt stars as a former UN worker who gets roped back in to help find a way to solve this zombie problem. I give the film a lot of credit in that it does not waste any time in getting into the action and frenzy. Once it starts, it really doesn't stop until the end credits roll. Along the way we get a number of decent set pieces, but nothing really revelatory about zombies or why they've suddenly started attacking the planet. The end result is probably the most mainstream version of a zombie film that you will ever see. For those who loves these films, this will likely come off as a disappointment, but for those who know nothing of the 'walking dead', this is probably a good entry point. Forster's work does nothing to make me reconsider my stance of what he did on Solace, but I am certainly more open to seeing other films from him in the future. Rating: *** 1/2

The host with the Most

Kermit and the gang are heading back to the big screen and this time they are taking their adventures overseas. Here's the newest trailer for Muppets Most Wanted.

RBR: Identity Thief

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprise that a film with a premise all about stealing the identity of someone would so liberally steal elements from other movies. That's what happens though in Identity Thief, a movie with a ton of promise thanks to the casting of two extremely funny people and saddling them with a tired, rehashed plot that has been done so much better in the past. There are elements of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Midnight Run, and Taking Care of Business seen here but this movie strips away the humor, intelligence, and heart found in those films. Instead, this film focuses on car chases, action scenes, and a physical brand of humor that yields very few laughs. It is a shame that a film that features two comedic actors who I enjoy produced only one actual laugh from me. I quickly became disinterested in seeing how everything would get resolved. Not surprisingly the central story ends on a predictable note while other subplots get ignored or are paid off in an unsatisfactory manner. Given how successful the film was, I know that I am now one of the last people to actually see this movie, but if you have managed to hold out longer than I have, continue doing so because there's nothing here worth your time. Rating: **

James Bond's greatest victory

From comingsoon.net:

The long-running battle between Kevin McClory and his estate with MGM and Danjaq, who own the rights to James Bond and related characters, is finally over after fifty years with MGM able to acquire the rights to the 007 franchise that had been held by McClory, who helped come up with the story for Thunderball with creator Ian Fleming. In the process of doing so, McClory has claimed that he created many of the iconic characters from the world of James Bond, presumably Blofeld and SPECTRE, who would appear in successive movies following that.

The lawsuits started flying in 1961 when McClory sued Fleming and received partial copyright to Thunderball that allowed him to remake it with Sean Connery in 1983 under the title Never Say Never Again. Neither MGM nor EON Productions have ever included that movie in any of the many James Bond box sets, considering it to take place outside of canon. Sony tried buying the rights from McClory and were promptly sued by MGM and McClory and his estate continued to be a problem for MGM and Danjaq over the years.

What could this mean for the future of the James Bond franchise? Well, for one thing, Danjaq's production division EON Productions could now theoretically introduce a new Ernst Stavro Blofeld or reintroduce SPECTRE after having created the crime organization "Quantum" for the Daniel Craig reboot Casino Royale.

No details of the settlement or the amount paid have been released.

RBR: Monsters University

We have long known that Pixar spoiled movie goers with the quality of the movies that they put out for over a decade. Audiences and critics began to realize that producing classic after classic is not a given based on Pixar's recent streak of underwhelming efforts. It was not only taken for granted that each film they made would be great, but that even their sequels would be just as good as their original films. When you look at both of the Toy Story sequels, it is remarkable how they were able to maintain such excellence. A large part of that was likely due to them having a clear vision for what the stories should be for each of those films. We saw actual character development and a defined story arc related to life and mortality. The same cannot be said for Monsters University, a prequel to 2001's Monsters Inc.. Unlike with Woody and the gang, it seems as if the Pixar crew has no idea what to do with Mike and Sully. The concept of taking a look at them in college is intriguing, although a bit odd for a movie aimed at such a young audience. The fact that they essentially do a Revenge of the Nerds ripoff is disappointing. There are plenty of colorful characters and jokes that work regardless of how old you are, but none of this feels innovative or fresh. If this were merely a Saturday morning cartoon extension of the franchise, I probably would not be as hard on them. But for them to revisit these characters nearly a decade later, I expected something more worthwhile. From a technical standpoint, there's nothing wrong here. However, this film is more representative of a student who coasts through school on decent grades rather than the valedictorian who puts everything they've got into making sure they are the best. Rating: ***

Block busted

News hit earlier today that the remaining Blockbuster video stores will be closed, essentially ending its reign as the primary method of renting movies. While the writing has been on the wall for some time, the news is still sad as I feel a piece of my childhood has been taken away from me now. To mark this occasion, I am posting an article written today on Entertainment Weekly's website which nicely encapsulates the great things and not so great things about this former major corporation.

It was the McDonald’s of video rental chains. The company that squashed countless local mom-and-pop video stores; its ubiquitous blue-and-yellow signs blanketing the country, cities and suburbs alike, with the promise of a largely efficient, largely impersonal, sometimes painless video rental experience.

By 2004, Blockbuster Video had 9,000 remarkably similar-looking locations. By every retail business standard, Blockbuster Video had won. Then, slowly, as The New York Times put it earlier today, “Internet killed the video store.” Blockbuster eventually adapted to changing technology and consumer habits, but not fast enough. There were struggles. Netflix. Policy changes. No late fees! Store closures. Late fees are back again! Ownership change. And in January, the chain will be gone, shuttering its remaining stores and DVD mail service.

Some are posting fond remembrances of Blockbuster. You can’t spend that many hours of your life somewhere, especially if it was during your youth, and not have some emotional attachment to the place. But let’s face it: Blockbuster was never cool. It was never really the good guy, or a company you cheered for.

So let’s tell it like it really was. Here’s 10 things we won’t miss about Blockbuster Video:

1. The wrong movie is in the box. These first few entries listed could be said about video stores in general. But once Blockbuster Video conquered the known video rental world, Blockbuster Video was “the video store.” The company became synonymous with what a video store is, and its downfall is largely because it kept being just a video store. So these are fair game. So: You get home from Blockbuster. You have your overpriced 2-liter soda and movie-theater-sized box of Skittles and your movie. You go to the DVD player and open the box. And then: “WHERE IS STARSHIP TROOPERS? THIS IS FLATLINERS!”

2. The scavenger hunt. The clerk’s computer says there’s one copy of Office Space in the store. But its not where it should be on the shelf. Maybe it’s behind another movie? Maybe its stacked in the wrong category? It couldn’t be under “Drama” could it? “Where is it? You said you had a copy in stock. Where is it!?” So you go on a scavenger hunt around the store with the clerk trying to find that missing copy of Office Space because you’re really in the mood for Office Space and your heart was set on watching it. The best part of this is when the poor schlub clerk gets on his hands and knees and goes through the return bin to see if it’s buried under copies of Titanic. Then he finally says maybe Office Space was stolen. STOLEN. You know, like your time.

3. The unkind. Now we’re going way back: Blockbuster was normally pretty decent about staying on top of this, but we can’t do a post on video store gripes without mentioning those VCR tapes that were not rewound. “Be Kind, Rewind.” Also: Scratched /unplayable rentals.

4. The New Releases mirage. Blockbuster-specific gripes now: You think you’re not too late to get a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring even though its Friday night and it just came out this week, because there’s a whole section of the New Releases wall filled with copies of the film. But remember: The movie artwork boxes are hollow. The boxes with the actual discs are in the Blockbuster boxes behind the artwork boxes. None of the false-front boxes have movies behind them. It’s a trick! The display wall is a total mirage. Blockbuster succeeded in looking fully stocked with the latest movies, even when there’s not one copy in the store. Fooled you! Now go see if a copy of Legend is in, loser!

5. Late fees. Of course. Late fees. Once you rented a Blockbuster video, the clock was ticking. You better watch it the first night, especially if it was a coveted New Release. Those dollar-a-day fees stack up quick. And there’s an unholy checking-account-crippling $60-80 full replacement fee lurking if you ever actually lost one of those boxes. For all their brightly lit stores, Blockbuster Video operated like the grim gang in Goodfellas: “Oh you forgot to return a DVD by midnight? F–k you, pay me! You returned it with the wrong disc? F–k you, pay me!”

6. Prudishness. You had to get your porn elsewhere. Okay. But even NC-17 films of some artistic/entertainment merit were banned by the chain in the 1990s, which was yet another blow against studios looking for a way to distribute NC-17 films. In other words: If you really wanted to appreciate Elizabeth Berkley causing a minor tsunami in a swimming pool in Showgirls, you couldn’t get it at Blockbuster.

7. Indie/foreign film? Ha! It’s called Blockbuster Video for a reason, film geek. You want an art film, or something with something nutty like subtitles, you best go someplace else. But Blockbuster will have 71 copies of Enemy of the State.

8. Those uniforms. During its heyday, Blockbuster had Disney-style clean-cut rules for its employees, who also had to wear pretty dorky uniforms (rather than dress like, you know, normal people, like at indie video and record stores). A group of male employees actually sued Blockbuster for a 1994 policy that banned male employees from having long hair. Check out this Blockbuster employee training video. A creepily omniscient training manager who calls himself a “professional opportunist” gets rather inappropriate with a teenage clerk and prods her to date a customer’s son while harassing her for apparently committing the unspeakable sin of accepting Bon Jovi tickets. (If you find yourself obsessing about this amazing video, which is totally understandable, you’ll find a breakdown of it from an ex-employee here).

9. Stagnation. When it comes to resisting change, Blockbuster critics point to the company being too slow to react to the rise of DVD-by-mail services and online streaming (Netflix was operating for six years before Blockbuster got in the movie-by-mail service game — which is astounding). But the company was slow to embrace other changes too that made even its core business pretty lousy. From shifting from VCR tapes to DVD. From pan-and-scan format videos to widescreen/letterbox. From DVD to Blu-ray. Being a Blockbuster customer who actually loved movies, and therefore loved improvements in the way movies were formatted or displayed, meant always being frustrated or disappointed because the company seemed reluctant to stock titles and formats until most of their customers were demanding the new versions. You never really got the feeling Blockbuster, as a company, loved, or even understood, movies. It’s like the way rental discs were given to customers in generic Blockbuster boxes stripped of their original packaging — you felt like you were renting a product unit, not a piece of commercial art.

10. Then everything fell apart. First standards were allowed to slip a little. Remember how Blockbuster went from having every video displayed with the box cover facing toward you? And then all of a sudden stores starting stacking DVDs like library books to pile more in? And there was also the surge of video games, which was understandable. But then, during the final recent years of Blockbuster, the stores began to stock all sort of random items, whether they had something to do with movies or games or not. Posters, stuffed animals, T-shirts, toys. The stores went from creepily anti-septic and strictly regimented environments to random flea markets peddling anything to survive.

Now here’s the really odd part. The twist ending. I walked through a Blockbuster about a year ago. I was surprised how far the chain had drifted from its original concept … the videos and games stacked crazily everywhere, the dirty carpets, the random products all over the place, angry miserable employees who looked like they wandered in off the street. And I found myself … actually missing the old Blockbuster Video. Missing it a little, even with all these gripes still firmly recalled.

Nostalgia is funny like that. For years you go to a place. For years you don’t like it much. Then it’s gone. Then you miss it.

Hammer envy

Check out what happens when Loki tries to do some market research to find out who the better superhero is.

RBR: Grown Ups 2

I am developing quite the cognitive dissonance when it comes to Adam Sandler's films these days. As I watch more films and learn more about what it takes to make a great film, I increasingly notice the flaws that are found in his movies. And yet one fact remains (mostly) true whenever I watch him on screen - he finds a way to make me laugh. Given the sophomoric nature of the humor, I don't always take pride in the fact that I laugh, but what can I say? In this follow up to the successful film from 2010, we find Sandler and all of his buddies (Kevin James, Chris Rock, and David Spade) and their families all living the sweet life in suburbia. If you are looking for a plot here, do not bother. While story has never been a strength in the Sandler library, this one is particularly startling in how flimsy of a premise there is to string along these scenes. This is moreso a collection of scenes with Sandler riffing with his friends, as well as more tertiary friends (Tim Meadows, Colin Quinn, Nick Swardson, etc.). The sad thing is that among this collection of scenes you see some morsels of goodness that make you believe a better film could have been delivered by this cast if anyone was interested in putting in some effort. Both the adults and the kids (all of whom are back from the first film) have some nice moments. Ultimately, this is the perfect type of movie to watch on cable. You can turn it on in the middle, leave at various parts and come back again and watch some more later and never really miss a beat. During the times you watch, you're likely to find at least a few jokes you'll like but you also won't feel like you're missing out if you do not see every frame. For all of their weaknesses, this is a group of guys that I enjoy watching and hanging out with. This one won't be winning any awards (save for a few Razzies perhaps), but I'm ok with that. A steady diet of this would be too much, but there's nothing wrong with an occasional low-brow indulgence. Rating: ** 1/2

Breaking Halloween news!

I've been trying my hardest to avoid most previews and trailers for Anchorman 2, but I think I can make an exception for this special message from Ron Burgundy.

Special Edna

From EW.com

Fox and The Simpsons producers are making some changes to Sunday’s programming to pay tribute to the passing of longtime Simpsons actress Marcia Wallace.

First, the network is replacing a repeat of American Dad with a classic Simpsons episode that focused on Wallace’s beloved character Edna Krabappel.

The network will re-air the 16th episode of the show’s third season, “Bart the Lover,” which offered a sympathetic take on Bart’s cynical, lonely teacher. In the episode, Bart discovers Krabappel has posted a personal ad, so he begins writing her bogus love letters. After setting her up on a fake date, he spies her sitting by herself in the restaurant. When she’s still there hours later, he’s no longer amused by his prank and sets about trying to make things right. The episode won Wallace an Emmy Award in 1992.

“Bart the Lover” will air as the 7:30 p.m. lead-in to an all-new Simpsons, titled “4 Regrettings and a Funeral.” The new episode will then conclude with a tribute card from the producers honoring Wallace. Also, the episode opens with an epic-length couch-gag spoof of The Hobbit.

Wallace died at age 70. “I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace,” producer Al Jean said in a statement earlier this week. “She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character.”

Come back on down!

From TVGuide.com:

One lucky (and unsuspecting) audience attending an upcoming taping of The Price is Right will be treated to an appearance by the game show's longtime host Bob Barker, as the Emmy Award-winning legend returns to his old CBS Television City studio to celebrate his 90th birthday.

"We've had Bob on just one other time since Drew Carey took over the show," says executive producer Mike Richards. "It was when Bob's book, Priceless Memories, came out and it was a priceless moment for fans. I was looking for the perfect reason to bring Bob back again and this TV legend turning 90 is the perfect reason."

Barker's pre-taped, one-day appearance will air on his birthday, Dec. 12, during a weeklong tribute (Dec. 9-13) to the animal rights crusader. "Monday through Friday we're going to be doing pet adoptions, which is something Bob did on the show for years," explains Richards.

During his appearance, Barker will help place a pup for adoption and take part in a special Showcase presentation featuring prizes that honor the benefits of reaching 90. Such as? "Being treated well," Richards says. "'And you'll be treated incredibly well on this trip to wherever... It's intended to show off just how hilarious Bob is and let him have a little fun. We couldn't be more excited!"

With both Barker and The Price is Right — daytime's No. 1 show — still going strong, Richards feels confident making one more announcement: "I'm officially extending an invitation to Bob to come back for his 100th birthday!"

Bob Barker, come on down!

Counting down the Days

Worlds are about to collide as the casts from the two X-Men franchises are about to come together in one epic movie. While the film, titled X-Men: Days of Future Past, won't come out until next year, we already have a first trailer. Check it out below.

Back into the Shadows

After news earlier this week about George Clooney's The Monuments Men getting pushed back to 2014, we get news today that another film has abandoned its December release date. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will now also move to early 2014. Here's the full story from EW.com.

EW has confirmed that Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has dropped off the Christmas release schedule and will now open Jan. 17, 2014

The Paramount Pictures’ action movie is based on characters from late author Tom Clancy and stars Chris Pine (Star Trek) as a young CIA analysis who uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack. Kenneth Branagh (Valkyrie), Kevin Costner (Man of Steel), and Kiera Knightly (Anna Karenina) will also star alongside Pine in the upcoming action thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Could a Christmas Day release date announcement for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street be just around the corner? The speculation remains high that Jack Ryan’s move could be a strategic effort by Paramount to announce a Dec. 25 release date for Martin Scorsese’s highly anticipated The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (The Great Gatsby) and Matthew McConaughey (Mud).

Moving Wolf Of Wall Street into Jack Ryan’s old release date of Christmas Day would effectively keep the film in the running for the Oscars but as of yet, Paramount has not commented on whether they will release the Scorsese film before the end of the year not.

Winter is coming

As we count down the days until the Thor sequel hits theaters, the first trailer for a sequel to a different Avenger has hit the Internet. Here's your first look at Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Moving Monuments

From EW.com

George Clooney told the Los Angeles Times Tuesday that his World War II drama The Monuments Men would not meet its scheduled Dec. 18 opening and will instead hit theaters in early 2014. A representative from Sony Pictures, who is distributing the film, confirmed the news to EW and stated that the film would be released sometime in the first quarter of 2014, but no release date has been set.

“We just didn’t have enough time,” Clooney told the paper. The movie, which Clooney directed, produced, and stars in, boasts an all-star cast including Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett and was considered an awards hopeful. According to the report, when Clooney arrived in London to work with composer Alexandre Desplat on the score, he and producing partner Grant Heslov realized they were in trouble.

“If any of the effects looked cheesy, the whole movie would look cheesy,” Clooney told the Times. “We simply don’t have enough people to work enough hours to finish it.” He added: ”All we’ve ever said, from the very beginning, is that we wanted to make a commercial, non-cynical piece of entertainment.”

The Monuments Men isn’t the first film to drop out of the late 2013 release schedule — others have included Sony’s Foxcatcher and The Weinstein Company’s Grace of Monaco, both of which have been pushed to early 2014 as well.

This is rather disappointing news for me considering this was in my Top 5 most anticipated films for this year. Then again, Clooney's current film, Gravity, was originally supposed to come out in 2012 and it's done all right with its delay. So I guess we just have to now play the waiting game.

Non the wiser

What is it about Liam Neeson that he keeps finding himself getting disturbing phone calls that result in him having to go into kick-ass mode? I'm not sure, but as a movie fan, I'm sure glad it keeps happening. Here's a trailer for his latest thriller, Non-Stop (directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed Neeson in Unknown) that has him busting out his specific set of skills on an airplane.

Playing the race card

As usual, I'm way late on getting to one of my reviews, but at least this one will be a full one and not a quick hit, so take what you can get.

When you think of some of the greatest athletes in their respective sports, it could be argued that they would not have achieved their greatness had it not been for a rival who equaled them in skill and forced them to be even better. That is certainly true for the two men at the center of Rush, a film about the real-life rivalry of Formula 1 racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Directed by Ron Howard, this film gives us one of the best stories about rivalry that I have ever seen.

Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth) is a blond-haired playboy who has seen success in every venture of his life. Before moving up to Formula 1, he relishes as the big fish in the small pond. His first true taste of competition comes from Lauda (played by Daniel Bruhl). His calculated efforts to be the fastest on the track rub Hunt the wrong way. After establishing these characters, the film focuses on the 1976 season as both men risk everything in order to be champion.

What makes their story interesting is how these two were true opposites. Hunt had his dashing good looks and carefree attitude. Lauda was more the intellectual, using his brains to gain a competitive. Hunt was a people person, while Lauda was stand-offish and brusk. Having a rival be your polar opposite is not a new storytelling device. Yet what makes Rush stand out is that neither man is portrayed negatively or as the villain here. Each man has their strengths and their weaknesses. Howard lets history dictate how we feel about these individuals rather than telling us who we should root for.

Howard should also be commended for the way he is able to depict the racing scenes themselves. You gain the thrill and exhilaration of watching the races just as if you were at the speedway yourself. Howard does not shy away from the dangerous nature of the sport. Scenes involves crashes and wrecks are realistically shown, neither sugar-coating the scares nor exploiting the violence. If you are at all familiar with the rivalry between the two, you know that Lauda is involved in a life-threatening crash midway through the season. We watch in shocked amazement as he refuses to let the accident deter his motivation to be the best

While the focus is on the events on the track, we do get glimpses into the personal lives of these two and the roles they played on their ability to win. Each man has varying levels of success when it comes to their love life. Hunt, for instance, sees his marriage (his wife is played by Olivia Wilde) fall apart in the midst of the season. Although Howard is right to focus on the racing, I would have liked to see him flesh out the women in these guys' lives more fully

Given that Howard does not take as many creative liberties with their story as some directors do when telling the real life stories of other notable people, there are not a lot of surprises here if you are at familiar with the outcome of the '76 season. I personally did not know the end result so I was fully engrossed in how things would play out. However, others may feel cheated that the film does not offer more than a summary of their competitive season.

Credit goes to both Hemsworth and Bruhl for their performances here. Both are outstanding in fully fleshing out who these men were and showing their complexities. I would imagine many will come to the film simply for the racing scenes and will leave surprise as to how good both of these men are in their respective roles. In a different year, I could see either one earn some awards buzz, but I have a feeling this year will have too crowded of a field for their work to be recognized.

I cannot say that I am a huge fan of car racing, but the competitive nature of athletes does capture my attention. For that reason, this movie is excellent. Its story transcends the featured sport and focuses more on the will to win. That is a theme that anyone can relate to. When it comes to athlete biopics, this one is able to rush ahead of the pack. Grade: A-

It's been surreal

It's been way too long since we've been able to see the adventures of U.S. Marshal Chris Monsanto (Chris Elliott). Well wait no more. Here's your first look at Season 3 of Eagleheart which you can see on Comedy Central's Adult Swim starting on November 14th.

RBR: RED 2 (Quick hits)

This one is not available on home movie yet, but it is long gone from the theaters, so we'll just stick it here and be done with it. Those who were fans of the first RED film, will get another dose of the same here. Thankfully I enjoyed the first one and found enough to like here as well. It mostly comes from seeing this group of aging stars have a lot of fun blowing stuff up real good. Could they have done something more interesting from a storytelling perspective? Absolutely. But this is the type of film that matinee theaters were built for. It's harmless entertainment that keeps you engaged for a few hours but then you'll likely quickly forget about a few days after you watched it. There's no need to do a third film in this series, but if they opted to do so, I wouldn't be totally against it. This was certainly better than most of Bruce Willis' efforts (A Good Day to Die Hard, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) this year. Rating: *** 1/2

RBR: The Croods (Quick hits)

Technically this one isn't available at Redbox yet, but it is available on home video and will be at Redbox next month. This animated caveman picture does have some charm. The voice cast including Nicholas Cage and Emma Stone attempts to bring some energy to the characters. It also creates some memorable animal characters that the kids will adore. The biggest problem with the film is its story that plays more like a TV pilot than a self contained film narrative. There is a sense of desperation on the filmmakers part to setup each character and have you like them so that you can see more wacky adventures from this crew. If this had been on Nickelodeon or Disney, I would rate it higher. However, there have been way better animated films that were actually worth your money as opposed to this prehistoric dud. Rating: ***

RBR: Broken City (Quick hits)

Talk about a dreadfully dull film. You would think that a film starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta Jones would crackle with life, but this nearly put me to sleep. About the only thing keeping me awake was trying to wrap my head around the numerous plot holes and mistakes that are found in the story. Like Admission, we see a lot of characters doing dumb things that make no sense to anyone with half a brain. I was hoping for some decent police/political thriller but this material isn't even worth doing on a fourth rate Law & Order spinoff. Rating: **

RBR: Admission (Quick hits version)

So there have been a lot of films that I have seen over the past few months that I never got around to reviewing for one reason or another. I am going to try and knock them all out in a row right now. Given that most of these films aren't in theaters any more, I won't do lengthy reviews. But at least you get to hear my thoughts on them anyways. So here goes nothing...

Tina Fey has earned fame and acclaim for her brand of smart comedy. Whether it was being on SNL or 30 Rock, making films like Mean Girls, or writing one of her successful books, she has managed to find the funny in an intelligent manner. For that reason, I am dumbfounded to see her associate herself with such dumb material like this film. What's even more baffling is that her character works for one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Fey plays an admissions counselor for Princeton. For someone responsible for evaluating the lives and merits of others, the decisions she makes in her own life are highly questionable. After breaking up with her boyfriend (Michael Sheen, doing a rather unfunny running gag of always showing up at inopportune times) she learns that she may have found a son that she gave up for adoption at birth thanks to Paul Rudd who teaches the boy at a progressive charter school. Fey's actions dealing with this potential son do not yield much laughs nor warmth. You just sit there wondering why anyone thought this material was good. Even character actors like Wallace Shaw and Lily Tomlin get wasted here. Now that 30 Rock is over, there were high hopes that Fey would make a successful transition to film, but if she continues to do projects like this she better hope to get a new job in TV real soon. Rating: ** 1/2

New Fall TV Review: The Blacklist

After his disastrous run on The Office, I wasn't sure I was ready to see James Spader on TV again, but he is singlehandedly making this new spy drama must-see. He plays mastermind criminal Raymond Reddington who has willingly turned himself in to the F.B.I. with the promise of sharing information on all the criminals he has worked with over the years. He also requests that he work exclusively with a young female agent. The show has procedural elements as each week deals with Reddington and the female agent working on capturing a criminal on Reddington's "blacklist" each week. However, there are also some perplexing mythological questions that have been established already. One is why Reddington chose to specifically work with this young agent. The one that interests me more is what is going on with the agent's husband who may not be all that he seems. There are some Jason Bourne elements to his storyline that certainly has me intrigued. Right now it is balancing that line to appease fans of both types of shows. But as I mentioned at the top, Spader is the reason to watch. His smarmy, sneaky Reddington captures your interest every time he is on the screen. Even when the "case of the week" doesn't provide something of interest, he keeps you invested in watching. I look forward to seeing how each of these storylines play out as the season unfolds. Verdict: Earns a season pass on the DVR

If you aint Ryan, you aint trying

The release of the first trailer for the new film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit takes on a more somber tone with the news this week of the passing of author Tom Clancy, who was the creator of the Jack Ryan character. While this film is based on an original story, it seems to still be very much rooted in the themes of geopolitics that Clancy was known for in his books. You can check out the trailer for yourself below.

New Fall TV Review: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This was probably the show I most anticipated coming in to this fall season and thus far it has no disappointed. Thus far, they've done a nice job of scaling back the story and production to be able to bring the Marvel universe to the small screen. The Marvel name is also not just being slapped on here to draw in viewers. I am loving all of the references to previous Marvel films that have been used within just the first two episodes. This show, however, cannot succeed if it merely makes references to other popular work. It has to be able to stand on its own. While there are some solid components here, I am not fully sold on everyone in the cast. Clark Gregg is great in the role of Agent Coulson and provides some excellent stability. I also like Ming Na Wen as the reluctant enforcer. The two British tech agents known collectively as Fitzsimmons are also a lot of fun. The actors playing Skye and Agent Ward are the weak links thus far, but hopefully they will improve over time. I like that they are already establishing some mysteries that will likely unfold as the season progresses. Already here are the key questions that they are teasing us with:
1)How did Agent Coulson survive and why does he not know what actually happened to him? 2)What happened to Melinda May that made her reluctant to go back out into the field? 3)Can Skye be trusted or is she using SHIELD in order to help her Rising Tide cause? 4)Who is responsible for Project Centipede?

This seems like it should be a very fun show that I am highly looking forward to watching each week. Verdict: Earns a season pass on the DVR

24 prepares for a bloody good time

From comingsoon.net

Twentieth Century Fox Television, Imagine Television and Fox are sending the production of "24: Live Another Day" across the Atlantic to London for a thrilling international adventure, as the new tent-pole event series restarts the clock on the groundbreaking and Emmy Award-winning drama franchise starring Kiefer Sutherland. As previously announced, "24: Live Another Day" will make its debut in the summer of 2014 on Fox.

"'24' has always had such a global sensibility," said Sutherland, who also serves as an executive producer on the event series. "But to be able to tell this intense '24'-style story with the beauty of Europe's history and architecture as the backdrop is going to be fascinating. Hopefully, by the time you're finished watching an episode, you'll feel like you've been there...on the edge of your seat."

Co-showrunner and executive producer Evan Katz added, "We wanted the show's return to be an event, and part of that was putting Jack in a very different context. Four years ago, we left Jack a fugitive from justice and we're going to pick him up four years later in London."

Co-showrunner and executive producer Manny Coto continued, "Jack is soon back on the run and it takes us into the streets of London and in places that break new ground for the show. We've shot in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Cape Town -- but now we're in London and Jack's loose on the streets of Europe, hunted by and hunting bad guys."

Originally premiering November 6, 2001, "24" was nominated for a total of 73 Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006. Over the course of eight seasons, and a two-hour telefilm, Sutherland garnered seven Emmy Award nominations and one win for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series.

"24: Live Another Day" is a production of 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television in association with Teakwood Lane Productions. Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer and Kiefer Sutherland will executive produce, along with an additional team to be announced. The original series, which had its last American broadcast on May 24, 2010, was created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran.

Tribe Watch '13 (Final Report)

So the Indians season finally came to an end last night after they lost the 1-game Wild Card Playoff to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a tough loss to watch, but I'm overall still extremely proud of this team for their season and excited for what is to come. Last night was a reflection of what this team currently is - a decent team with a great manager that still has to address some issues before they can be a legitimate contender. As we turn to the offseason, there will be some good dilemmas to deal with. One will be determining if we can re-sign Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Kazmir, or both. Both guys seemingly got better as the season went on but it seems unlikely that we'll be able to afford both, so the question becomes will be able to keep either here next year. We then will have to look at offering some extensions to players who we will want to lock up for the long term future, like Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis. There are also some players that I would like to see gone from the team like Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera. These guys do nothing to enhance our team, but hopefully that are seen to still have some talent so that we will be able to trade them. Lastly you have to wonder about Jason Giambi. While the stats do not indicate it, you could potentially argue he was an MVP on this team because of the contributions he made. I don't know whether he's ready to retire or still wants to play. I would like to see him remain with us in some capacity, however.

In general, this was an amazing season that was so entertaining from beginning to end. I love this core group of guys that we have and I truly believe we are moving in the right direction. Last night's loss stings, but that will fade soon enough. The good news is that we are now just four months away from pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training. No matter what the calendar says, I will always say Go Tribe!!

Can you beliebe it?

Leave it to Zach Galifianakis to put that punk Justin Bieber in his place and right to his face new less. Check out the unforgettable new episode of Between Two Ferns down below.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 25)

Record: 86 - 70

Standing: 2nd in AL Central; current holder of the 2nd Wild Card spot

One week to go. Just six more games. If we can hang on, we will be in the playoffs. We earned this spot after a relatively successful week. While the Tribe only managed to win one against Kansas City, that win was enough to still keep some distance between us and them. Then we did what we needed to do and that was sweep all four games against the American League's worst team, the Houston Astros. That was amazingly our 6th 4-game sweep of the season - a feat that has not been accomplished by any team since 1961. While some of those games were not our finest effort, we managed to get the W nonetheless and that's all that matters. As things stand right now, we hold a 1 game lead over the Texas Rangers for that final wild card spot, while Tampa Bay is one game better than us for the other Wild Card slot. With things that close, we can ill afford any slip ups this week. After having a day off on Monday, the Indians will have to kick it back into high gear with their final series at home, a 2-game set against the Chicago White Sox. We will then finish up on the road as we head to Minnesota for the final four games of the season. Neither team is very good, so let's hope we continue doing what we need to do and that is win these games. It is hard to believe that by this time next week we could be talking playoffs. It doesn't get any more exciting that this, so let's cheer this team into the homestretch. Go Tribe!

Number cruncher

Today marked the season premiere for the The Price is Right's 42nd year on TV. To mark the big day, the show debuted its newest pricing game called Do the Math. Check out its first playing right here:

New Fall TV review: Sleepy Hollow

I did not get a chance to post my review for this one last week after its premiere, but now that I have had a chance to watch the second episode, I feel I can better articulate my thoughts. This is a high concept new drama on FOX that deals with characters from the Washington Irving story being brought into modern day. After decapitating the brute that would become the Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane suddenly emerges from a cave in 2013 believing he is still in the era of the Revolutionary War. His arrival coincides with a string of murders by someone who seems to have no head. Crane teams up with a local police woman in order to figure out what is going on. The premise offers some intrigue and the pilot does a good job of establishing story elements that will enable the show to work as a continuing series. However as the show settled in for episode 2, it became apparent that this show will fall into a lot of the same traps that so many other shows suffer from. The second episode became a "freak of the week" episode where Crane and the police woman have to hunt down a witch that has been brought back to life while getting a few more clues regarding the overarching mythology of the show. A show like Fringe started out in a similarly, but found a way to rise above the procedural setup to deliver a more richer story with characters that we cared about. I do not see Sleepy Hollow having the same success. The relationship between Crane and the officer have not done much for me and they have not done a suitable job of establishing any other interesting supporting characters. Even if the show's mythology remains well written, I just don't know how invested I am in hearing why the four horseman of the apocalypse have suddenly chosen now to wreck havoc on society. Given that my TV time is not infinite, I can't see myself staying involved in this ghost story. Verdict: Worth watching for a few episodes, but ultimately removed from the DVR lineup

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Director Alexander Payne's last couple movies (The Descendents, Sideways) have been good but simply have not captured my attention the way Election did. His newest film, Nebraska is not only a return to the Midwest but seemingly a return to the level of filmmaking and storytelling that made me a fan of his in the first place. Check out the trailer for yourself below.

New Fall TV review: Brooklyn Nine Nine

As we begin the fall TV season, I'll do my best to review some of the new shows that are debuting in hopes of letting you know whether or not they will be worth your time. First up is a new sitcom on FOX set in the world of a Brooklyn police department. SNL vet Andy Samberg stars as the hotshot detective who loves his job and he's good at it. In fact his sergeant (played by the great Terry Crews) states that the only case he hasn't been able to solve is how to grow up. This rubs his new captain (played by Andre Braugher) the wrong way. Braugher has fun playing the serious boss while also having some fun with the same type of role he's played on police dramas. The show also has a good set of supporting actors including Joe Lo Truglio who knows a thing or two about cop comedies after his stint on Reno: 911. The true find, however, is Chelsea Peretti, whose sarcastic take on her job and her co-workers had me heartily laughing every time she was on screen. Developed by Michael Schur, who also created Parks and Recreation, this show managed to deliver a lot of laughs, which is not always easy in pilot episodes that are so dependent on introductions and exposition. Playing crimes for laughs can also be difficult, but if they continue to be dealing with crimes like the theft of a $6000 ham as they did in the pilot, this show has a definite chance of being very successful. It may only be one episode, but this show already has me arrested. Verdict:Given a season pass on the DVR

Reinforcement troupe

There have been a lot of news coming from 30 Rockafeller these days. Below are links to a couple of stories about what we can expect to see on Saturday Night Live this season. Both stories come from EW.com.

'Saturday Night Live' officially adds six new cast members: Meet them here (Fun fact: One of my best friends is named Kyle Mooney, but sadly it's not the same one who has been added to the cast)

'SNL': Seth Meyers' new 'Weekend Update' co-anchor is ... (I really like Cecily Strong and she may do fine in this role, but I personally think that new hire Beck Bennett (aka the AT&T It's Not Complicated guy) would be a perfect replacement for Seth Meyers).

Time to ketchup on some TV

From Variety:

Popular movie review website Rotten Tomatoes will now also start tracking television shows.

On Tuesday, the site will launch a separate “TV Zone” that includes a Tomatometer based on reviews of a TV show’s seasons, not individual episodes.

Reviews will cover all the new fall scripted series, as well as shows that have aired on primetime over the last four years that received coverage by critics from major media outlets Rotten Tomatoes follows. It will not track reality shows.

For the older shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men,” “we will go back to the beginning,” and include reviews of their earlier seasons, Matt Atchity, editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes, told Variety.

Like with movies, the TV Tomatometer will represent good reviews as “Fresh” with a red tomato, while bad reviews will be designated “Rotten” with a splattered green tomato. Series must receive at least 60% positive ratings to be considered “Fresh.”

“We’re aggregating the reviews the same way we’ve always been,” Atchity said.

The ratings could prove a boost for series as they look to gain viewers across digital platforms — especially through past seasons, the way audiences watching past seasons on Netflix have helped increase ratings for series like “Breaking Bad.”

But Rotten Tomatoes will also have to keep a closer eye on the way TV seasons play out.

A show that started with positive reviews may hit a creative bump and lose audiences, for example, requiring a rating to change over time. Most TV ratings will be based on the first reviews for a series’ season, usually based on the first several episodes. Additional reviews often come out as a season progresses and Rotten Tomatoes will continue to monitor those recaps.

“If reviews go extremely negative then we may change it as the season goes on,” Atchity said. Rotten Tomatoes cited NBC’s “Smash” as an example of that. “People liked it in the beginning then critics seemed to turn on it,” Atchity noted.

“For movie reviews, we don’t often change them as much,” Atchity said. “But we want to accurately reflect what critics have said.”

The TV offering is the first major expansion beyond Rotten Tomatoes’ core movie reviews since the site was launched in 1998.

Timing of the launch, of course, comes as networks ready to launch the seasons of their new and returning fall shows within the coming days and weeks.

Rotten Tomatoes has long wanted to expand into TV, and has spent the past year aggregating TV reviews.

“We thought it was a good time to get into TV because we’re in the golden age of television right now,” Atchity said. “Creatively, television is where it’s at right now.”

But Rotten Tomatoes’ team had to wait until owner Flixster and parent Warner Bros., which bought the sites in 2011, could free up more resources for the TV service. Until now, WB and Flixster have focused on supporting UltraViolet.

“We really wanted to get in on that conversation and give our users who already are looking at movies a good place to discuss and ingest TV,” Atchity said. “It’s been something we’ve been thinking about for awhile. It’s always a battle to get development resources and make new things happen.”

Rotten Tomatoes would eventually like to see its TV meter also become as ubiquitous as its film ratings have become, showing up on Netflix, Hulu, Comcast, Dish and iTunes.

It also intends to monetize its TV review database and provide links to ways to purchase the shows on disc or digital formats.

It’s already getting the networks’ support, with ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” sponsoring the launch of Rotten Tomatoes’ new TV Tomatometer.

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 24)

Record: 81 - 68

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (5 games behind Detroit; 0.5 games out of the Wild Card)

Now things start to get real interesting. Believe or not, the Indians are in a very good position right now to make the postseason. It hasn't always looked that way, but the cards are aligned right now for them to continue playing baseball in October. Part of the reason is because of what we have been doing. While we only managed to win one out of the three against Kansas City, we swept the four game series against the Chicago White Sox and had our offense come to life in the process. The other reason why we are in a good position is because the teams ahead of us, namely the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays have been really struggling as of late. Those teams, as well as the other teams in the playoff hunt (the Orioles, Yankees, and Royals) will be dealing with much more difficult schedules in the final two weeks of the season. As long as the Indians win the games that they should win, we could be heading to the postseason. Our final true test begins tonight when we start a three game series in Kansas City against the Royals. While we are 3 games ahead of them, we can ill afford to get swept by them and put them right back into this. If we manage to at least take two of three, then we can help ensure that they are taken out of consideration. After the Royals we come home for our final homestand of the regular series and begin a four game set against the Houston Astros. Even though Houston has the worst record in the American League, they are not just going to lie down and let us win, so we will need to keep our edge and make sure we don't falter against weaker competition. While nothing will get settled this week, it is exciting to think about the fact that we could be in possession of one of the wild card spots by the end of next week. Given that this team is right in the thick of the playoff hunt, I hope the city of Cleveland finally comes out and begins to support this team to show them we appreciate their effort. It's a real exciting time to be an Indians fan and I'm going to love every moment of it. Go Tribe!

RBR: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

When people criticize Hollywood for being out of ideas, one of the first pieces of evidence that gets cited is the abundance of television shows that get turned into feature films when they have no business being on the silver screen. The GI Joe franchise, however, seems like it would translate well to the big screen. You have a colorful cast of characters and a relatable story of good and evil. Given the source material that they have to work with, it is baffling how much Hollywood has mismanaged this franchise and turned in now two disappointing entries. What has been apparent in both 2009's Rise of Cobra and the recent sequel Relatiation is the corporate fingerprints that have put a stranglehold on the direction of these films. Things like putting it in 3D and adding The Rock and Bruce Willis to the cast offer nothing to the actual storytelling and are included merely because some studio executives has the misguided belief that this is what audiences want. In the cartoon, all of the Joes had distinct names and corresponding attributes that made them unique. In this latest film, the only way a character stands out is because of who is playing him. Why is Dwayne Johnson called Roadblock? Beats me. They might as well have just called him The Rock because that's what everyone is thinking while seeing him on the screen. The villians are not much better in terms of being distinct. The handling of Cobra Commander is slightly better here than in the first film, but he has to share time on the screen with several other villains so we can never really appreciate any of them. That brings up another issue with the film in that there is too much going on, yet none of it feels like it matters. Half of the film is spent on the rivalry between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow and too often I had no idea why I should care or what it had to do with the other plot involving an ambush on the Joes. I will give credit where it is due and say that there are some impressive action scenes sprinkled throughout the film. The ninja fight that takes place on the side of a mountain in particular is very well done. But again, none of it feels like it matters. Never before have I seen an entire major city get destroyed in a film and have it feel as insignificant as it does here. Until this franchise can show a little bit more coherence in its storytelling, I'm going AWOL. Rating: ** 1/2

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 23)

Record: 76 - 66

Standing: Second in AL Central (5.5 games behind Detroit; 2 games out of Wild Card)

Because of the holiday weekend, I never did a Tribe Watch post last week. However, given the way the Indians had played against Atlanta and Detroit, I really wasn't in the mood to talk about baseball. This week definitely saw some improvement. We managed to take two out of three against Baltimore (of course, the only game we lost was the one I attended) and the New York Mets. Taking two out of three against Baltimore was important because we are battling with them for that second Wild Card spot. I really would have liked to sweep the Mets, but could not managed to get a victory today. While it is just one loss, it was a particularly frustrating one because it featured three themes that when present usually equal to a Tribe loss. #1, when Yan Gomes and Ryan Raburn are not in the lineup, our offense is non-existent. #2, if we have men on base in a clutch situation, it always seems as if Asdrubal Cabrera is up to bat and he will inevitably not come through in the clutch. #3, Chris Perez will give up runs when he is in a non-save situation. Hopefully Terry Francona is picking up on these themes as well and will do something to rectify them as we head into the home stretch. Every game now becomes really important if we want to make the postseason. Our schedule is weak which means we can win a lot of these games. However, there are still a lot of teams capable of making the playoffs so we have to be careful not to lose ground to any of them. That push to the postseason continues this week with a three game series at home with the Kansas City Royals and then onto Chicago this week for a 3 game set with the White Sox. Kansas City won't go away, so beating them will be important to quash their hopes of making the playoffs. The White Sox are horrible and its essential that we sweep them, even if it is in Chicago. It's fun to be able to still be talking Indians baseball in September and have it mean sometime. It can also be nerve racking, but that's part of the fun. Let's root this team on to victory (especially since the Browns seem like they will be awful once again this year). Go Tribe!

RBR: Oblivion

If you look at the evolution of the public's perception of the space program, you see how those first few missions had audiences utterly captivating. We were seeing something we had never seen before and that we never thought we would ever see. Over time, those missions became so routine and familiar that we stopped caring. That is basically how I felt as I watched Oblivion, the recent sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise. Cruise plays Jack Harper, one of the few remaining people left on Earth after an attack left the planet inhabitable. He's tasked with fixing the drone machines that scour the planet to eliminate any remaining alien threats. Jack's memory of the attack and his life before it have been wiped clean, yet he keeps having flashes to what he believes is moments from his past life. Things get more complicated when a woman (Olga Kurylenko) he sees in those dreams crashes onto Earth. There's also a secret group of humans, led by Morgan Freeman (between this, Olympus Has Fallen, and Now You See Me, I'm beginning to see this guy in my sleep) who try to assist Jack in understanding the truth about what is going on. I won't give away any of the film's big twists here, but I would imagine that by the description I have already given you, you can draw comparisons to this movie and several other more famous sci-fi films. From a story perspective, this film offers you absolutely nothing new. The movie initially hooks you in because it has a tremendous look. Director Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy) has a great knack at creating worlds that have an impressive visual aesthetic. It's fun watching Cruise fly around in unique looking spaceships across a barren Earth that still looks somewhat inviting even if no one can live on it. But once the thrill of the film's look is gone, you are left with an empty story that plods along to its inevitable conclusion. With a decent TV, Oblivion still has some value on home video for its visual effects, but if you're looking for a decent story, you're better off renting one of the dozen classic sci-fi films that tell these tropes much more effectively. Rating: ***

Runner up

Before Ben Affleck becomes billionaire Bruce Wayne, he gets to be a high roller who sucks Justin Timberlake into his world of gambling in the new movie Runner Runner. Here's a look at the film's latest trailer.

RBR: Now You See Me

Portraying magic in the movies can be just as difficult as performing a trick in real life. Both require a lot of misdirection before a final reveal that needs to payoff. In Now You See Me, the crime thriller that came out last May, a group of magicians and illusionists band together to perform tricks that seemingly involve robbing banks. The group, known as the Four Horsemen, consists of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco. After committing their first trick/robbery, they are put under investigation by a cop played by Mark Ruffalo and an Interpol agent played by Melanie Laurent. Also involved is Michael Caine who is producing the Four Horsemen's act and Morgan Freeman as a magician who has built a career out of revealing magicians' secrets to the public. As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts at play here. This enables there to never be a dull moment in the film, but is also prevents us from really getting to know any of the characters all that well. The most development comes from the budding romance between Ruffalo and Laurent, but I found that to be the weakest part of the film. Meanwhile, director Louis Leterrier throws a lot of tricks at you, both of the magical and visual kind, that are meant to, and mostly succeed, at enthralling you. This is a movie that begs you to "look closer" in order to try and figure out. While it does a good job of keeping you guessing, I am not sold that the final reveal works. Yet I found it to be a twist that encourages me to watch the film again rather than get annoyed or disgusted. If you let yourself get sucked in to the magic, you will likely find yourself fully entertained. But if you're the type of person who wants to take the magic out of everything, the film gives you plenty of ammunition to hate it. Personally, I was entertained and would gladly be interested in seeing more adventures from The Four Horsemen in the future. Rating: ****

Space case

In space, no one can hear me scream how excited I am for Gravity, the new thriller starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock set to open Oct. 4. Here's the new trailer to get you even more enticed.

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