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)