Sharing some photos

A park in Peterborough, NH at the end of "leaf-peeping" season. Looks peaceful, doesn't it?

Whenever I go back east, I'm struck by how much in New England looks like it just stepped out of the pages of the Saturday Evening Post.

A man-made waterfall by the park in Peterborough, NH. I like the contrast here. 

 

 

Back to Seattle. Taken from inside the ferry from Bainbridge Island to the city.

Speaking of Bainbridge--a lovely day on the Island.

Off the marina on Bainbridge Island. That same brilliant day.

Port Gamble Bay as the sun begins to set. I'm working with a group now to help protect and restore this amazing waterway.

My thoughtful little dog.

Check this out: Mad Men theme...sort of

Check this out: The Making of The Walking Dead

Forget "Lone Star." (Yeah, most clearly never even knew it existed.) "The Event" is a non-event. "Nikita" may be promising, but it's not there quite yet.

My most anticipated series of the season hasn't aired yet.

"The Walking Dead" will premiere on Sunday, October 31 on AMC and is based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman. The new show is written/produced/directed by Frank Daranont. You know, the guy behind The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption?

This "Making Of" video for "The Walking Dead" made me even more stoked. Check it out.

Between my favorite show "Mad Men", "Breaking Bad", and the absolutely awesome "Rubicon", AMC is becoming the most exciting place on TV for fabulous, never watered-down, adult storytelling.

My new favorite podcast: Hollywood Babble-On

For years, I've been a loyal listener of SMoDcast with Kevin Smith and Scott Moser. While I'm huge fan of Smith's, I'm the first to admit that the podcast can be a bit hit or miss. It's great when the two are talking about news stories with their own brand of snark, but occasionally lurching towards dull--like when they're laughing at their own inside jokes--to bordering on uncomfortable with discussion of "toys" like the FleshLight (Google that at your own risk). I'm not a prude, but there's only so much a grown woman can take hearing two mean talk about....never mind.

Recently, Smith bought a stage that isn't iTunes for his podcasts and has added a few more shows to the bill. Jay and Silent Bob Get Old is worth a listen, especially if you're a Clerks/Dogma/Chasing Amy fan and ever wondered what the heck ever happened to the skinny one.

The real winner here though is Hollywood Babble-On, where Smith and co-host Ralph Garman talk about Hollywood news with their twisted sense of humor firmly in tact and with something of an insider's perspective. There's only been seven episodes, but every one has had me chuckling and interested in more. Garman, who is the Hollywood happenings co-host of the "Kevin & Bean" morning show on KROQ out of Los Angeles, is a great pairing with Smith, who is able to let his geek shine through and isn't afraid to admit when pieces of pop culture pass him by. Certainly worth a listen or even an iTunes subscribe.

Be warned though: there's nothing about any of Smith's offerings that could be considered "family-friendly." If you're anything like me though, that's a good thing.

Book Review: Naked Heat (2010)

Author: "Richard Castle"
Publisher: Hyperion
Score: 7 out of 10
Buy it from Amazon

Let's just be honest, Naked Heat, along with its predecessor Heat Wave, is a good example of great marketing. The books spring from fictional author "Richard Castle"-- a character on ABC's hit crime-comedy-drama "Castle."

On the show, Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) is a prolific genre writer who finds in NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) his muse for a new series of books featuring a similar crime fighter named Nikki Heat. Naked Heat is the second book in the series.

To please fans of the show, there are a lot of parallels between the Heat novels and "Castle"--in Naked Heat, Nikki Heat finds herself paired once again with magazine writer Jameson Rook, who provides the best moments of comic relief. Unlike the show, the two have recently come out of relationship, but still care about one another. As these things always go, it's complicated, and the two have to figure out their feelings for one another while trying to catch a killer.

The victim is Cassidy Towne, a bitchy celebrity gossip columnist with a long list of enemies. While Heat and Rook gather a list of suspects that range from an up-and-coming major league pitcher to a transformed pop star with a dark past, other bodies are discovered and a sadistic mad man known only as The Texan kidnaps Heat and Rook. Can everything possibly be related? What skeletons did Cassidy have in her closet? Will Heat and Rook survive The Texan...and their relationship?

There's a lot to like about Naked Heat--even if you've never seen an episode of "Castle." I don't know who has taken up the pen name "Richard Castle", but the Heat books are crisp and well-written. The action is brisk and the characters, while never too bogged down in their personal baggage, are well-realized and interesting. (On the subject of the real author: it wouldn't surprise me if it's one of Castle's regular on-air poker buddies: James Patterson, Michael Connelly, or the late-great Stephen J. Cannell.)

To be sure, "Castle" isn't required viewing to enjoy this back-door novelization, but fans of the show will notice plot devices that are direct nods to Richard Castle's experiences while chasing bad guys with Beckett.

In the end, Naked Heat is a light read that's as frothy as one of Castle's coffee drinks. The good news is the book (and the series) stands on its own as a worthy addition to the genre.

Movie Review: The Town (2010)

Starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall
Directed by Ben Affleck
Score: 7.5 out of 10

This is as good a time as any to say I admire Ben Affleck. Here's a guy who went from struggling young actor to break-out phenom (with an Oscar on his mantle) to genuine, stalked-on-the-red-carpet, phoning-in-roles Movie Star. Now other than the fact he's a writer, this all doesn't seem too unusual until you realize Ben Affleck isn't a movie star anymore. And that's ultimately a good thing.

Shunned because he managed to let his girlfriends get the best of him and a few not-nearly-as-bad-as-everyone-seems-to-think movies (hey, I liked Jersey Girl!), Affleck didn't publicly delve into drugs or make a grab at whatever roles came his way to cash in on his declining popularity. No. What he did was step away from the spotlight, choosing roles that were memorable, but far from top billing. This was acting school by-fire and right around 2009's State of Play, it was pretty clear Affleck had turned himself into a damn fine actor.

He directed his first feature film too--2007's Gone Baby Gone, a thriller set in Affleck's beloved Boston that was, more or less, universally, if not loved, admired. That's why it surprised me when the trailer for The Town was released proclaiming it as being from "The Director of 'Gone Baby Gone'." No mention of Affleck. Considering how much he's accomplished since his self-imposed exile, this seemed disrespectful. What else does poor Ben have to do to wash off the stink of "Bennifer?" I don't know if The Town is it, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

The Town is a Ben Affleck film through and through. He directs, stars, and co-wrote the screenplay (it's based off the novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan) for this fine heist thriller about a group of friends living in Charlestown, MA who make their livings as bank robbers. According to the film, Charlestown has produced more bank robbers than any other city in the United States. In this mostly Irish suburb of Boston, thievery is a malicious genetic trait, passed from father to son. The town holds its young men prisoner until they finally graduate to a life behind bars.

Affleck plays Doug McRay, the leader of this band of thieves, which includes his second-in-command, wound-so-tight-you-can-hear-his-neck-cords-sing best friend Jim Coughlin (Jeremy Renner, who deserves some love come awards season). It's clear from the start that Doug is restless in his expected existence, feeling especially uncomfortable as the now clean and sober guy among buddies drenched in alcohol and a waste of an ex-girlfriend who taunts him with the Oxycodone she peddles to support her young daughter: "Don't you miss it?" she whispers in his ear as he sips his cranberry juice. Add to this an unrepentant jailbird daddy (Chris Cooper, who just oozes icky in his one fabulous scene) and questions about a mother who mysteriously vanished when he was just six, you wouldn't blame Doug for hopping the next bus for Florida. But he doesn't because that's not what the boys of Charlestown do.

So maybe that's why Doug is so quick to step out of his tiny world to meet someone with actual aspirations. Anyone who has seen The Town's trailer knows Doug hooks up with a pretty bank manager (Rebecca Hall), who was the victim of one of his crew's heists. If this subplot had turned into the driving force of The Town, the whole thing could have have fallen into the clutches of being maudlin, but it doesn't and isn't because Affleck's focus is clear--the relationship is just a device to further peer into the broken soul of our anti-hero Doug.

The heart of the story lies with Doug and his buddies who are being pushed into their Big Score by a sadistic mob boss known as The Florist (a creepy Pete Postlethwaite). That last job? Not what you would expect...and it drives the last third of the film as the FBI (well lead by Mad Men's Jon Hamm and Titus Welliver aka "The Man in Black" from LOST) close in for the proverbial showdown at the O.K. Corral.

There's little in The Town that's resolved unexpectedly: I don't think I'm spoiling much when I say the good guys (mostly) win, the bad guys don't, and our anti-hero Doug finds his way out of Charlestown. But what makes The Town good, bordering on great, is the execution. Affleck is becoming a handy director who knows how to pick or co-pen good scripts to display his burgeoning talent. It may seem trite that he's still stomping around Boston, but it fits him. He knows the city and he's able to make it come to life in a way that's respectful even when the film's residents are doing dope or shooting up a city street. Boston is to Affleck what New York is to Scorsese and I, for one, hope Affleck spends some more time there.

I have some disappointments and quibbles with The Town (for example, the FBI subplot, like Doug's romance, is more of a device than an interesting segue), but as a whole, it's a solid crime thriller worthy of a watch (or two), featuring a fine actor and director named Ben Affleck. He deserves your respect. Let's just hope he never becomes a movie star again.

Food Break: Turkey Burritos

One must eat to keep up their movie-viewing strength. Of course, after reading Michael Pollan and with some of the food safety clients I work with, it's a shock I ever find anything I'm not completely frightened will become sentient in my bowels and eat me alive from the inside out. That's a pretty picture and a really fine way to introduce a recipe post. 

From the pages of The Old Farmer's Almanac Everyday Recipes cook-azine (cookbook meets magazine, falls in love, mates, becomes 'cook-azine') comes this recipe, which is easy to whip up on a hectic weeknight. Pair it with a salad and a Corona and welcome to Mexican night!

Turkey Burritos 

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted (Find one that a little soft, but not mushy. Easier to mash up!)

• Juice of 1 lime

• Hot sauce, to taste

• 1-1/2 cups peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes

• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onions

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 to 6 tortillas

• 1/2 cup kidney beans, rinsed, or 1/2 cup canned refined beans (I used black beans. They worked well and I prefer them to the suggested options.)
• 1 cup shredded cooked turkey (Chicken works great too!)

• Lettuce leaves

• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Mash the avocado, mix in the lime juice, and a dash of hot sauce, and set aside. Combine the tomatoes and sweet onions, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Make the burritos (one at a time): Place a tortilla on a plate, spread the avocado mixture over it, and top with beans, the tomato mixture, and the turkey. Cover with lettuce leaves and cheese. Roll the tortilla to enclose the filling.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Starring The Weather: 5 Great Movies

Weather plays a major role in all our lives: it can ruin plans (or lives) or make a perfect day even better. I recently came off a big work assignment that indirectly involved the weather. All the talk of La Nina, El Nino, cold winters, and Indian summers got me to thinking about good movies with weather as a central character. Not just a theme, but an indispensable force.

Since there are few things I like better than "Top" lists I thought I would share my Top 5 movies starring The Weather.

5.) Twister (1996)
This is--I promise--the only movie on this list that's actually about the weather. It's also the reason I briefly toyed with the idea of becoming meteorologist.

Unlike the weather-themed disaster flicks that came after (The Day After Tomorrow, Dantes Peak, the more horrible than horrific Volcano), Twister actually deserves a place on a list made up of movies with weather. Sure, it's all kinds of implausible (these people practically snuggle with tornadoes), but it's a lot of fun and has held up well in the special effects department.

Jan de Bont's follow-up to Speed (speaking of films that make their audience forget how silly and unrealistic they are...), Twister moves as quickly as the tornadoes Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, and a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman are chasing. A great soundtrack (augmented by theme song "Humans Being"--the song that ended the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen) compliments the film by knowing just when to shift up the music to add to the urgency of storm chasing.

4.) Magnolia (1999)
Maybe Phillip Seymour Hoffman has a thing for the weather. Or, maybe, he just knows good scripts when he reads them. I'm guessing it's the latter.

Starring with an ensemble cast (Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Jason Robards), Hoffman plays a hospice nurse intent on helping an elderly patient find closure. This story intertwines with several others to cumulate in a scene about weather (and frogs...) that helps to drive home the point that we are all connected by our life experiences.

3.) The Shining (1980)
Stephen King has said he hates this Stanley Kubrick-directed adaptation of his novel about a family trapped in a snow-bound hotel as the father (Jack Nicholson) goes slowly insane. I, like most King fans I think, don't quite understand why. Kubrick manages to combine his high-minded cinematic sense with King's chilling story to create a horror masterpiece.






2.) Frostbitten (2006)/Let the Right One In (2008)
What is it about snow that makes horror films that much more effective? This pair of Swedish vampire flicks uses a snow-drenched landscape to enhance a feeling of helplessness and isolation.

Frostbitten has a medical doctor faced with finding out why local teenagers are coming down ill with a mysterious virus. A side effect of a dangerous party drug or something much more sinister? As funny as it is grotesque (bunnies don't fare well...) Frostbitten is a an example of what vampire flicks used to be...before they got all sparkly.

Let the Right One In is easily one of my favorite films from the last decade. Ten-year-old Oskar is bullied and ignored until he meets his strange new next-door neighbor who tells him from the start that they can't be friends. What follows is an unexpected gem that uses a landscape of white to tell the story of two isolated and forgotten souls who find what they need in each other.

There's no way I can't mention the American remake of Let the Right One In (called Let Me In), which actually opened in theaters just this weekend. I've heard it's competently done and, to be sure, I am curious about it. For my money, though, I'll take the touching and beautiful original every time.

1.) The Mist (2007)
Bold statement time: The Mist is the best Stephen King adaptation ever made. The movie changes little from the main story: After a massive storm, a mysterious mist with possibly out-of-this-dimension dangers chokes a small town trapping a grocery store full of scared people, including David Drayton (Thomas Jane) and his young son. An unrelenting tale of survival (with the most dangerous creatures being the ones that are standing right next to you), The Mist is a thoughtful thriller with just the right dash of B-movie and a crushing kick-in-the-gut ending.

Trailer: True Grit

I'm not a huge fan of remakes and have been skeptical of this one from the start, but the trailer has (almost) made me a believer.

**It seems my link is dead. Check it out at http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/truegrit/

M. Night Shymalan is the Devil

Ok. I'll admit it. I'm still rooting for M. Night Shyamalan. I haven't seen the worst reviewed movie of the year aka The Last Airbender and I'll roundly acknowledge that The Happening was one of the most unintentionally funny films I've ever seem (oh, Marky Mark, how I love thee and your trees). Despite logic getting in the way, I tried to cut him slack for Lady in the Water--I just loved the idea of modern day horror-fantasy-fairy tale, dammit!--and The Village...well, it had a good cast.

Like most tired fans, all my love for Shyamalan comes from The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Hate him or love him, it's hard to deny that when these films were released he was a new voice, bringing horror up a peg with something more than bad remakes and torture porn.

And then his ego started eating his brain.

When it comes to Shyamalan, I hold out hope like some crazy lighthouse attendant facing a hurricane. The evidence is there that whatever "it" was that Shyamalan had has dried up and disappeared, but maybe if he can focus on spinning a good yarn rather than directing (frankly, this was never his strong suit) or working on getting himself in the frame as much as possible, maybe, just maybe, he's not as lost as Bruce Willis' hairline.

That's why new trailer for Devil makes me...curious. I don't care for the editing, but the concept is interesting: five people get trapped in an elevator and one of them may be Lucifer him (or her) self. Shyamalan is responsible for the story and, apparently, nothing else...thank goodness.

I'm not saying Devil will be any good, but perhaps its a step in the right direction towards redemption for Shyamalan. Or it'll end up being another nail in the coffin of his career.

Quick, someone call Haley Joel Osment.

Review: Capitalism: A Love Story

Directed by Michael Moore
Score: 4 out of 10

I've always had something of a love/hate relationship with Michael Moore's work. While I usually agree with his political views and his more rational conclusions, I take issue with how his films make their points. Moore is more showman than documentary filmmaker. He's a video columnist with a flair for painting a very bold and entertaining, albeit one-sided, picture.

With Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore's bag of usual parlor tricks don't work the way they used to. It's as if he's relying on the American public's anger over the economic mess we're wading through to power interest in his film. Of course, a certain element of that is fine and true--it's just too bad the film doesn't have too much to say on it's own.

Capitalism begins with a family being evicted from their home. This is the first of several examples Moore gives to try and prove that capitalism has gone awry. He might have something there--unless your bank account regularly reads over six figures, chances are you see the disparity in this country between the "haves" and the "have-nots." It's also easy to make the argument that corporate America and their chase for bigger and bigger profits have helped lead us into the economic mess we're in right now.

But those points are simplistic; one would and should expect more from a documentary that supposedly explores the dark side of capitalism. To be sure, though, Moore's intent isn't so much exploration as it is condemnation. While he puts some emphasis on the growth of financial market influence in America as well as how the wealthy's tax responsibility has decreased steadily since the Reagan administration (in direct proportion to the the decline of the middle class), his argument is more emotional than intellectual.

I suppose that's to be expected on some level from a Moore film, but it's vastly disappointing that few economists or financial experts take the screen. There's even one incredibly bizarre sequence where Moore trots out a series of priests (including the one who married him and his wife) to argue the immorality of capitalism. While terms like "derivatives" and "credit default swaps" are brought up (but with no real explanation except to stress they're complicated), they are quickly dismissed for Moore's parlor tricks, including going to Wall Street to ask for the American taxpayers' money back.

In the end, Capitalism feels like "Capitalism for Dummies." Moore does little to explore the reasons behind the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in generations. The funny thing is, as anyone who has read Michael Lewis' "The Big Short" or heard any of the several incredible shows on the subject produced for NPR's "This American Life" knows, there's a really compelling story to be told in film on the greed of Wall Street, including insane and inconceivable financial products that don't feel like they should be legal.

Capitalism: A Love Story is a wasted opportunity. While occasionally entertaining, it feels as if Moore has little faith in his audience's ability to understand what's at the heart of the mess and instead spoon feeds them info that fits neatly into a simplified reality--the rich get richer while the poor suffer; Wall Street suits are greedy, et al. Throughout the film, Moore makes the argument that the power is still in the hands of the people through the ability to vote. The problem is a certain level of knowledge and intellectual curiosity is necessary to choose good leaders and create a positive impact--unfortunately, Capitalism provides little of either.

Review: Burn Notice, Season 4 Premiere

Starring: Jeffery Donovan, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, Gabrielle Anwar
Score: 10 out of 10

Fans know the lead in all too well: "My name is Michael Weston. I used to be a spy."

Last night, Michael, Fiona, and Sam Axe returned to TV to begin the fourth season of 'Burn Notice', a show I'm sorry to say I didn't discover until late into the third season. Thank goodness for iTunes!

The fourth season opens as the third ended with Michael having chosen to help the mysterious Management and waking up as a prisoner in a posh sitting room. Quickly Michael finds out why he's being held: these are the people who burned him and they need his help. It seems the sinister figure who released the devilishly-fun, but murderous Simon from prison last season did so to distract from his gun-running, war-inciting, and generally bad guy activities. Needless to say, Michael can't just walk away.

While this may sound like the 'Burn Notice' fans have come to know and love, something is different--for the better. While '24' occasionally liked to hint at Jack Bauer becoming a changed man, but always returning him to his torturous and tortured ways, Michael Weston has been slowly evolving over the last few seasons and the biggest evidence of that change comes in the fourth season premiere. Appropriately one of the show's most touching and effective scenes happens between Michael and his mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless). Played by Jeffery Donovan, you can feel Weston's fatigue and fear that he will become just like Simon.

Of course, this wouldn't be 'Burn Notice' without the case of the week, but  there are changes on that front too: Fiona and Sam find a case and begin it together without Michael proving that, while they're better together, they can survive without him. This week's hapless victim is a lawyer who crosses paths with a big, bad motorcycle gang. Unlike most of the Burn cases, though, this one is light on back story and used most significantly to highlight the changed dynamic.

Like most 'Burn Notice' fans I couldn't be happier that the show is back with the entire cast on board (love that I've found a place to check in on Bruce Campbell weekly!) and the subtle changes this season suggest that the writers knew they were on the verge of jumping that proverbial shark.  I like the fact they aren't screwing with the format, but looking at enhancing the characters. At the end of the day, 'Burn Notice' is formulaic, but what makes people tune in week after week (and a lot do--it's the most watched episodic show on cable) is the dynamic between Michael, Fiona, Sam, and Madeline. Keeping that growing is the key to continued success for 'Burn Notice' and I, for one, hope to see it going for a very long time.

Dabbling in photography

A few weeks ago I got it in my head I wanted to take up photography.

On any given day, I'll suddenly decide I need to take up one thing or another. Sky diving. Organic eating. Gardening. Yoga. Painting. Cooking. Some stick, some don't. Of that list every other one I've kept up with. I'll let you guess which.

So I waited for the photography fascination to fade. Shockingly it didn't. I found my old, once-very-expensive-and-now-not-much-better-than-a-cellphone digital camera and started playing. I started seeking out photography websites and online tutorials. My husband rescued from his closet an old text book on the subject passed down from aunt to father to son.

Like most novices, and since I didn't have a small child or puppy readily available, I decided to start my photography adventures outside. Nature shots are supposed to be some of the most difficult and I can see why: the lighting can be unforgiving (especially when your main tool only allows for 400 ISO!!!) and it's hard to set everything up so what you see with your eyes matches what the camera captures.

Anyway here are a few shots I'm least embarrassed by taken with my sad, but robust 3.2 MP Sony:

I have a thing about flowers. These pink ones are in bloom all over now.

This was at the entrance of a trail at a local park. It just struck me. The writer in me started making up the story of how that little girl's shoe ended up there. 

This is Eagle Harbor in Bainbridge Island, Wash. The ferry, which takes passengers between the island and Seattle, passes through this inlet. I rather liked the scale here: beach to homes to trees to mountains. Like building blocks.

Yup. Trees and some leaves. Very creative. ;)

Remember: I like flowers. Plus, there was something here I liked. Maybe it was how imperfect they are, but still very lovely. 

I'm using this one as my desktop background right now. It's peaceful. 

Hidden in the woods I found an old shack and this was carved on one of the support beams. Again the writer in me loved it. I bet Rachel Moore is pretty proud too. 

This is probably my favorite. Unfortunately, it turned out a little grainy.

Over the last few days I've been searching for a new camera. Let me just say: there are far too many options. Point-n-click, SLR, d-SLR, Canon, Nokia, Sony.... Sort of nuts. I've decided I'm not ready for a full-on d-SLR, but want more than a point-n-click so I'm going to take a happy medium and get the Canon G11: 

I really like that a lot of the controls are manual (versus having to navigate through a screen). It has settings for all sorts of photography. I won't have as much control as I would with a big-boy SLR, but it'll give me enough to play and learn. Plus it's only $449 so a nice price to see how far this hobby will go!

Movie Night!

Is there anything better than opening your mailbox and finding three red Netflix envelopes?

Last night my husband and I celebrated this momentous weekly occasion with a little pizza, a little wine and a triple feature. With our trusty Pomeranian in tow (ignoring his cries for pizza) we started our cinematic adventures with:

The Road (6.5 out of 10) is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy. You know, the author who also wrote 'No County for Old Men'? I had read 'The Road' some years back and was curious how Hollywood was ever going to turn the narratively-sparse novel into a movie. If you've never heard of the film, don't worry--I don't think many have. It came and went quickly to smaller art theaters after several release delays. That usual signals a bad film or one the studio doesn't have much faith in. Clearly, I think it was the latter.

That isn't to say The Road is a good movie, per se. Interesting is a better word.

The basic story goes like this: The Man and the Boy (those are the only "names" you get) travel south across post-apocalyptic America. They are two of only a handful of survivors of a tragedy that is never defined (although the film implies it might have been global warming...). The Man, played by Viggo Mortensen, is only concerned with one thing: protecting his son, which isn't easy when around every corner are cannibals and thieves. It seems that most survivors have turned to their basest instincts for survival although there aren't many others to be had as most of the movie finds the Man and Boy simply walking and exploring their burnt out husk of existence.

The abandoned houses, gray streams, and charred forests pile on the despair and act as a character in themselves to great affect. The Man and the Boy hate life--they're absolutely miserable, but they continue on because they feel like the have to, for one another, not really because they want to.

While The Road does a good job actualizing The Man and the Boy's despair, it all feels a little self-serving. The Man and Boy are held as something of Christ-like figures (the movie actually official changes their names to The Father and The Son), calling themselves "the good guys"and implying that no one else is "carrying the fire" (a reference to having heart). And then there's the whole nothing really happens thing. Like in the book, no explanation is given for the current state of things, but the film greatly expands the presence of the Boy's mother for no good reason other than they had time to fill. In the film, she's played by Charlize Theron and she's fine at conveying the absolute pathos the character feels about bringing a child up in this situation, but, for some reason, the filmmakers chose to end her story line in a way that makes little sense.

All in all, The Road is more than worth a peek. It's a good little movie that borders on being something really special, but never quite gets there. The performances are solid (watch for Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce is small roles) and the landscape is beautifully depressing, but there was something missing--the fire--that means, for me, it's not worth a second viewing.

Next up, Daybreakers (8 out of 10). Imagine if you will: the world has become filled with vampires. Like the Richard Matheson novel 'I Am Legend' (read it...the Will Smith film is awful in comparison), vampires are the norm and people are fugitives. Fugitives farmed for blood. In this dystopian future, the supply is running out and Daybreakers begins with the knowledge that there's less than 30 days left of mealtime left for the vamps.  Our main player is a hematologist with a soft spot for the human race (played by Ethan Hawke--I never realize how much I love him until he pops up in a film) who is desperately trying to find blood substitute.

What he stumbles upon, rather crashes into, is a cure for vampirism.

With a solid little twist at the end, Daybreakers is equal parts action horror film, film noir and social commentary. In short, it was pretty surprising and really well done. Directors and writers Michael and Peter Spierig bring a unique narrative to the vampire story--and not in a 'we don't need no stinkin' lore' Stephanie Myers' kind of way. They marry what we know about vampires into interesting ways throughout the story to present a world where vampires run the world (I rather liked the car equipped with daytime driving features) while inserting their own spin. With vampires as the new black these days, it's good to see a movie truly do something different and fun with the concept while treating all its characters with equal doses of humanity.

Daybreakers is a vampire film for thinking adults. It has it's fair share of gore and isn't perfect, but should hold a place pretty high up within the genre.

On another note, I've just learned that Michael and Peter Spierig have been tapped to direct the sequel to The Dark Crystal. Could be interesting.

The pizza's gone. The dog has finally found a comfortable place to sleep. Time for movie three: The Lovely Bones.

I loved the book. That's about all I can say because the DVD didn't work. Yes, I cleaned it. But our Blu-Ray player would only get as far as the Paramount HD screen before turning to black save for a little line (that looked like a minus sign) in the left hand corner. Bummer.

All worked up for a third movie, we decided to peruse Netflix's instant view. After nixing a bunch of options, we somehow decided to revisit:

Karate Kid 2 (6 out of 10) begins where the original ended with Daniel LaRusso beating his high school nemesis, a Cobra Kai student named Johnny, in a karate tournament. Sweeping the leg didn't work, so Danny got the trophy, the girl, and his self-respect.

Only the girl leaves him before prom and that trophy doesn't mean much when your mom wants to move to Fresno for the summer. So Daniel accompanies his sensei, Mr. Miyagi, to Japan to visit the old man's ailing father. Of course, we need some karate so the story has Daniel walking right into a war that started 45 years before when Mr. Miyagi refused to fight his best friend, Sato, for the hand of the woman he loved.

Wearing more fruit-colored shirts than I knew existed (of course this is the 80s), Daniel finds a new love and fights for his honor against the weasel-like Chozen (Yuji Okumoto, who still acts but whose career highlight was clearly this movie...and Big Momma's House 2). After breaking six blocks of ice, dancing with a girl in a poodle skirt, and learning the secrets of the drum, I don't think I'm ruining anything when I say it all works out fine and we all learn a valuable lesson. Cue Peter Cetera.

I can't say Karate Kid 2 holds up, but it's better than a lot of the 80s flicks we 30-somethings revisit from our childhood. I dare say though, and I'll agree this is part nostalgia talking, I can't see how the new version (updated with Will Smith's kid, Jackie Chan, Kung-Fu and China) could hold a candle to the heart and charm of this film and the original. There's an earnestness to this film that makes you want to stand up and cheer when the good guys win. Sure, it's a little mawkish and silly, but it's clear who our heroes are and through every last frame they earn our admiration.

And with that movie night ends. Thank you and good night!

Hollywood Reporter Gets a New Editor

Hmmm...several outlets are reporting the appointment of ex-Us Weekly celeb editor, Janice Min, taking the helm at industry mag The Hollywood Reporter. This follows on the heels of the hiring of the former publisher of celeb rag OK! Magazine.

This makes me nervous.

While Min stress the Reporter will remain a trade publication, I would bet that within the year the pub will flip to something more likely to report on Lindsay Lohan's bad behavior than the business that really drives the entertainment industry. If it happens, it'll be about money, of course. I mean, we live in a world where the industry juggernaut Variety chose to lay off its seminal film critic to cut costs.

Time will tell. I hope I'm wrong. The last thing the world needs is another gossip outlet.

The Muppets Sing 'Stand By Me'

This absolutely made my day. 

Review: Shutter Island (2010)

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Syndow
Score: 8.5 out of 10

Possible spoilers follow. If you haven’t read the book, beware.

Martin Scorsese has never made a bad film. Even his mediocre work is a step above just simply good. That’s the best way I can think to describe Shutter Island.

If you’ve read Dennis Lehane’s novel, you’ve seen the movie. The film is less of an adaptation and more of pictorial reading of the book, which is not a bad thing. It’s an excellent novel, but the twist at the end is far less fun when you know exactly what’s coming before the lights go down.

The story starts off simply enough, but progression builds its layers. Shutter Island is a small isle off the coast of Massachusetts, home to an asylum for the criminally insane. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Edward “Teddy” Daniels, an agent with the U.S. Marshall Service. Along with his brand new partner, Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), Teddy is dispatched to the island to investigate the disappearance of a patient/prisoner who seemingly disappeared into thin air.

From the moment Teddy and Chuck step off the ferry from Boston, it’s apparent something’s not right. The guards are twitchy, the patients anxious, the missing patient’s doctor (Ben Kingsley, played with his usual efficiency) elusive. The story about how patient Rachel Solando disappeared just doesn’t add up. The investigation builds, questions lead into answers shrouded in subterfuge taunting the officers.

There’s not much more I can say about the film’s plot without giving it all away, but those who have read the book know where things are leading. The film makes it easy to follow Scorsese and company down the path and, in a lesser filmmaker’s hands, the story might have maudlin and laughable. There’s an underlying chaos to the story that’s reigned in just enough so the insanity (pun intended) doesn’t overrun what Scorsese wants you to focus on at the moment. This is important because without this steady direction the film could have been an unadulterated mess. On the downside though, there’s no interpretation to the novel, which is something I would have liked to have seen. Screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (whose resume includes the film Alexander and episodes of the new “Bionic Woman”--take from that what you will) is maddeningly faithful to the novel, which I’m not sure should really be a complaint as it’s really quite excellent, but films are not books. Books allow for the reflection of the reader; movies require some reflection by the filmmaker. That’s not here and it’s a disappointment, albeit a minor one.

The cast as a whole is excellent. DiCaprio is doing an amazing job with his career shunning the romantic comedy or action trap that would be so easy to fall into. He’s an actor’s actor with a fierce intelligence behind all his performances. Of also special note is Michelle Williams as Teddy’s deceased wife, who in brilliantly constructed dream sequences, brings to life Teddy’s destroyed psyche and brittle emotions. Without Williams’ fragile performance, the scenes simply would not have worked.

Shutter Island is a very good movie and definitely worth a look, but don’t expect one of Scorsese’s masterpieces. It’s a capable film that’s better than most, but lacking in an individual voice.

Review: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Directed by Tim Burton

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway

Score: 3 out of 10

Do you remember when Tim Burton made good movies? I do. I even remember when he made them with Johnny Depp.

Tim Burton’s take on Alice in Wonderland is a joyless affair; a wanna-be epic movie that doesn’t try nearly hard enough and ends up being quite small and insignificant.

In this “re-visioning”, Alice is played by relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska and, despite her sallow pallor that made me a bit worried she might faint, she is one of the few bright spots of this dull adaptation. Burton has revamped the basic Alice story so she is now a young woman of 20 plagued her whole life by a series of maddening dreams involving a blue caterpillar and a smiling, devious cat.

We meet grown-up Alice on the day she is proposed to by a toothy, ginger-haired lord, who has little patience for whimsy and Alice’s dreamy ways. Instead of giving the ‘yes’ her family and friends expect, Alice ditches the Duke, I mean Lord, and follows a white rabbit she sees in the garden down a literal rabbit hole to Wonderland.

Only in this version, it’s “Underland”, a twisted, faded mess of a place. Everyone seems to know Alice while the girl herself insists throughout the entirely too-long film that this is only a dream. Had she actually been delusional, the movie might have turned out a sight more interesting.

It’s these little tweaks to the basic story (i.e. Wonderland v. Underland) that seem to pass as a re-visioning for Burton, but instead the effect adds to the film’s overall misdirection. Throughout the story is rudderless; there are hints of something different that never really materializes beyond sight gags and some truly perplexing dialogue. The original magic of the story is lost in the translation.

And then there are the performances.

With the exception of Wasikowska and Crispin Glover as a creepy one-eyed black knight (yes, he’s typecast, but I am so happy to see Crispin getting into mainstream film again), everyone else is, at best, middle-of-the-road save Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway, who are truly awful.

Depp plays the Mad Hatter with glassy eyes and a level of faux insanity that isn’t interesting; it’s embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch. Depp’s Hatter could literally be dropped into a film about crack addicts and would make as equal, or perhaps, more sense. There’s little doubt that Depp is a talented, enthusiastic actor who tries to bring something unique to every role. Sometimes, though, someone needs to tell him no.

As the White Queen, Hathaway emotes and poses. Granted there isn’t a lot of depth to the character, but Hathaway is little more than a living doll. Perhaps that’s what Burton wanted, but compared to Helena Bonham Carter’s fiery and emotional sister, the Red Queen, the White Queen comes off like a plastic person on lithium.

It’s as if Burton and crew wanted to make a much darker and more interesting movie (think: American McGee’s Alice), but were forced to work within the confines of a Disney PG rating and all the mediocrity that comes with it. "Alice in Wonderland", like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", is, ultimately, something of a horror story and in both cases, Burton’s take is right at the edge of stepping into the darkness, but ends up trading what could be a fascinating, more layered take into something vapid and thoughtless.

Alice in Wonderland isn’t unwatchable, but it's close and, certainly, a big disappointment.

WoW Guilds: A recipe for dysfunction? Or a symptom of a bigger problem?

A break from the movies.

I play World of Warcraft known as WoW among it's 10+ million strong player base. My druid has existed since a week or so after release in 2004 and, since then, I've expanded my stable of characters with a shaman (who I love), a warlock (it's fun to blow others up....), and a lonely death knight, who like Rodney Dangerfield, just can't seem to get any respect.

Anyone who knows anything about WoW knows that players work together to accomplish big goals, namely slaying not-necessarily big, scary, or slimy bad guys who hit hard and drop shiny suits of armor upon their deaths. A group of players who gather together under one name is called a guild.

Starting with that druid (nope, won't tell you the name or server...don't like stalkers. I'm weird like that), I've been in a lot of guilds and, with rare exceptions, my time ended not because of something I did, but because like The Dude (see? movie reference...), I could not abide by the egos and drama that permeated every inch of the experience. But, here's the thing: I'm patient. Exceedingly so. I try to make things work even when it's apparent I should run away for my own sanity. So usually I stick it out and eventually find myself homeless.

Guilds, like any organization, company or community group, breed a certain level of dysfunction. Type "group dynamics and dysfunction" into Google and you'll get back a hornet's nest of papers yelling about how, essentially, we humans don't really work or play well together. The thing about a game like WoW is there's another layer--anonymity.

As anyone who has used the Internet knows, the ass-hat in some bubbles to the surface the minute they plop themselves down in front of a computer screen. This behavior even has a name: "online dis-inhibition effect." Basically, people forget social norms and, either consciously or subconsciously, decide real world rules don't apply to the Internet even though the people they're interacting with virtually are real, flesh-and-blood humans they would never treat so poorly if they were standing in front of them.

For me this all relates to WoW in a very real way. I've been lied to, ditched, gossiped about, and--in one distinct act of wonderfulness--had a picture of real-life me taken down from a guild website and used to make fun. It all started when I defended the raid leader and used a big word to do so. Apparently real English scared the guy and the only thing he could think to do was pull the photo and make fun of my abundant (fill-in-the-blank). Seriously. I'm guessing mom's basement, too.

This all leads me to my current predicament, which is no one's problem but my own, but this is my blog so I can write what I want. Ah, the Internet. You cruel mistress.

So I'm guild-less. It all started six or so months ago when the guild I had been in for over two years fell apart. The guild leadership gave us a speech one day about how they had no time to raid regularly (fine, thanks for the update) but we would still be setting stuff up as a guild from time-to-time. Needless to say, they disappeared. No further word. People started leaving in exodus. Friendships we had formed either didn't matter or deteriorated in the name of those virtual shiny suits of armor.

I eventually gave up the ghost and moved on only to find that "online dis-inhibition effect" is alive and well all over the WoW-verse. I can handle the random people, those I group with once and never see again, but the guilds I joined were worse. From being simply unfriendly to downright intolerable, my guild experiences have been miserable.

You wanna know the root of the problem? It boils down to good ol' fashioned communication. In this day-and-age as we have more and more ways to stay in touch, we've fallen out of touch. We don't know how to talk to one another anymore. I've found guild leaders who have my in-game character names, email, IM address, and phone number and still can't manage to drop me a line to let me know what's going on when they know I have a question or concern. Say 'Hi' during a random dungeon and most don't respond, while others are so shocked someone is actually talking that it takes them a second to fumble a reply. People are openly rude or vulgar when something doesn't meet their liking because, you know, being civil takes too much energy. Guilds will often communicate with a core group, but ignore the needs/questions of the many. And all this bad behavior is for what? The aforementioned virtual, shiny suits of armor. Basically, crap that just don't matter.

To be sure, Wow is a microcosm of a wider problem. We've lost the ability for reasonable, intelligent conversation. All anyone has to do is turn on the evening news and see health-care legislation opponents and proponents yelling at one another with bad facts and language that would make my mother blush. Maybe it is the Internet's fault. I'm not saying we were once a wholly rational people, but it seems at one point spirited, informed debate was preferred over flaming the opposition. Between our Blackberries, iPhones, multiple email addresses, IM accounts, blogs that cater to any opinion, 24-hour news sites that give little real news, Twitter, Facebook, and lord knows what else, we seem to think communication is supposed to be a few snippets of info that solely focuses on the individual. I would argue (and I am!) that these devices and ways of "communicating" have made us more self-centered (and we really were, as a species, doing pretty well in this regard) and less capable of empathy. We don't realize that the people behind those devices are actual people, or at least we're less aware of it, in the pursuit of whatever the variant in our lives is of "virtual, shiny suits of armor." I don't know, I'm thinking the "prize" of human compassion, understanding, and intellectual curiosity is more appealing.

So, yeah, I'm guild-less, but the experience has been a fascinating, albeit frustrating, one. It has made the "shiny suits of armor" in all areas of my life seem less appealing. Made me even more aware of the real people who play the game and who exist in the world who don't seem to realize that the universe, shockingly, doesn't revolve around them. While I'm more cynical, I don't know if that's a bad thing. I mean, for one, I've always been pretty cynical, but it certainly puts things into perspective. Short term gain doesn't mean much if you leave your dignity at the door and are so apathetic to the human condition that posting on Facebook about what you had for lunch is more important than exploring the world outside your own comfortable sphere. We're a fast food, celebrity-driven culture ignorant to current events and real facts beyond sound bites and suffer a proclivity to look down on people who are thoughtful. I'm not saying that's everyone or even a majority, but it's certainly the message our media and we as a people are fostering.

What does it all mean? This post started about me talking about WoW and has come to waxing on about the human condition and attitudes in 2010. For me, this awareness means that I am loathe to ever choose "shiny suits of armor" in any facet of my life if it means stepping over someone else. It means making an effort to communicate as succinctly as possible and never letting "I" become more important than whatever community I find myself in. I will also always feed my intellectual hunger, never allowing myself to starve on ignorance and hate because it happens to fit into my goals.

The irony is the paragraph above, in this new world, would probably seem arrogant to some. We have been taught to believe that we have to take care of ourselves first and any deviation on that (even if it's just education for education's sake) is bad and counterproductive. Excuse my French, but that's bullshit. We are tribal; this as-of-late focus on complete self-interest and whatever our "shiny suit of armor" is will do one thing: cause us as a people to wither on the vine.

So, make a pledge to be nice to someone today. And while you're at it, readjust what "nice" means. It doesn't mean anything material. Give a smile. Instead of sending that email; walk over to your co-workers desk. Don't Facebook about your evening plans; invite your friends along. Don't buy into a point of view because someone told you to; find out what's going on for yourself. We can be a better people, but it starts with being a better person.

Ok, I'm off to see Shutter Island and Hot Tub Time Machine. Reviews coming soon!

Review: Green Zone (2010)

Directed by Paul Greengrass

Starring Matt Damon, Brendan Gleeson

Score: 10 out of 10

In this day and age, as people are yelling epithets that would have been embarrassing just a few years ago and seemingly rational people think bringing sidearms to healthcare rallies make sense, it’s hard to believe a movie like Green Zone was given the green light. While the trailers make the film look like an action extravaganza reuniting Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (It’s Bourne 4!), Green Zone is actually a smart political thriller about the current Iraq war.

Matt Damon is Roy Miller, nicknamed “Chief”, an officer in the U.S. Army who leads a team charged with hunting down weapons of mass destruction in the early days of the conflict. There’s just one problem: while he and his men risk their lives at every location, the intel is simply no good. Site after site, more evidence mounts that makes it clear the information the Army is receiving is not reliable.

Miller voices his concerns and, while shut down by a commanding officer, is approached by a CIA operative (Brendan Gleeson, who does smart and disheveled better than few others) who agrees with the assessment. That’s what makes Miller go off-script following a lead by a staunch nationalist, who may not like the American presence, but appreciates that it put an end to Saddam’s reign of tyranny.

What follows is an indictment of corrupt politicians and the media. Greengrass, through a script written by Brian Helgeland (based on a book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran), pieces together a scenario where key decision-makers within the U.S. government manipulated, distorted, and, often, outright, lied about intel to make it fit the goal of invading Iraq to usurp Saddam from power. Then it adds the media as a cherry on top of the war sundae, indicting them for believing the dish as presented, never invoking the age-old reporter’s brand of inquistiveness.

To be sure, none of the story is true except for the bare edges. (Although maybe it is....) That mere fact though doesn’t make the film any less enjoyable as a taut, unapologetically-intelligent political thriller of the kind we rarely see anymore. Some (see Fox News) have described the film as anti-American. Not so. There was once a time in this country when bringing to light corrupt leaders or lying politicans was celebrated. Now it’s seen as disturbingly anti-American if said-politician endorses your point-of-view.

And that’s why I’m shocked Green Zone ever saw the light of day especially with its $130 million price tag. It’s a well-acted, sharply directed, engrossing film that dares to point to current world events and America’s place in them and ask, “Why?”

Review: The Informant! (2009)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale
Score: 6 out of 10

In 1992, executive Mark Whitacre told a lie that snowballed into the collapse of the biggest international price fixing scheme in history.

That sentence describes Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! tells but yet doesn't describe the incredibly true story at all. You see, Whitacre (played by Matt Damon in the film) was an elusive fellow who wasn't exactly in touch with reality, yet by all accounts was one of the most important and effective whistle-blowers of all time. While serving as a top-level executive with the biggest food additives manufacturer in America, Whitacre shared the company's illegal price-fixing practices with the FBI. All the while Whitacre had his own embezzlement scheme going and, somehow, believed the downfall of the company's top executives would secure his place as CEO.

Soderbergh's film is based on the book of the same name by New York Times reporter Kurt Eichenwald and while it follows the basic story there's just too much insanity to pack into a two-hour movie. It feels like pieces are missing and they are. Some of this is made up for by voiceovers throughout the film by Damon's Whitacre--these bon mots provide a view into this very strange man's self-absorbed and not terribly logical mind.

On some level it also helps that Soderbergh and his screenwriter chose to position the story as a comedy: doing otherwise would have clearly put a spotlight on the portions of the story that didn't make it to the screen. Also, it's easier to laugh at the situation (and, to be sure, the story is strange and funny on its own) than dive deeply into the intentions or compunctions of such a curious individual.

Check out Eichenwald's book if you're interested in the whole story. (NPR's "This American Life" also did a great episode about the case a few years back.) But, if you're not particularly interested in the details, The Informant! is a nicely done, watered-down version.

Review: Crazy Heart (2009)

Directed by Scott Cooper
Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell
Score: 8 out of 10

In the vein of Tender Mercies and A Star is Born, Crazy Heart features an Oscar-winning performance by Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake, a washed-up, bloated, alcoholic country star on his journey to the bottom. During his tour circuit of dive bars and bowling alleys filled with fans who are just as wistful for their youth as Bad, he meets a pretty young small-town reporter (Gyllenhaal) who, despite her better judgment, takes up with Bad just as he is given the shot again at stardom he so desperately craves. There's one catch: he'll have to put his ego aside and accept help from his now super-star famous protege Tommy Sweet (Farrell).

The thing about a movie like Crazy Heart is it lives and dies on its performances. So much so one bad apple can ruin the entire film. With the exception of a sometimes shaky Gyllenhaal (and to be fair, my issues are more with how her character was written than with her actual performance), Crazy Heart is  excellent all-around (including Duvall as Bad's best friend and bartender). While I would have loved to have seen Bridges' earn some Oscar-love for The Dude oh so many years ago, the little statue he received at this year's shindig was well-deserved.

On top of that, the music is quite good. Bridges and Farrell do their own singing in the film and they're both surprisingly great. The movie's theme song "The Weary Kind" won the Academy Award for Best Song and, while the competition wasn't stiff (more songs by Randy Newman? Really?) it more than deserves the accolade.

While Crazy Heart doesn't offer much new in the story department, it's a quiet, adult-minded film with excellent performances--off stage and on--that's a rarity to find these days playing alongside big-budget extravaganzas at the local multiplex.

Review: The King of Kong (2007)

Directed by Seth Gordon
Starring Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell
Score: 10 out of 10

In 1982, a teen named Billy Mitchell earned the highest score ever in the video game Donkey Kong.

In 2005, Steve Wiebe, a recently laid-off Boeing engineer, took the title via videotape from his garage in Redmond, Washington.

And, thus, begins The King of Kong: a truly wonderful, touching and unexpected documentary.

It's that videotape--the one Wiebe used to present his high score to Twin Galaxies, the governing body of such things--that drives Kong. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. You need to meet Billy and Steve. This is their story and they are the story.

You know those guys who sit around talking about the "good ol' days"? The ones who think that just because, say, they caught the game-winning pass in high school that they, somehow, are the best today? That's Billy Mitchell. Not to say he hasn't done anything with his life: he's the owner of Rickey's Hot Sauce and seems to do quite well for himself. Granted, he doesn't look like he's bought new clothes since 1987 and has a well-coiffed 'do the leader of a hair band would covet. Oh yeah, and he's a douchebag. I usually like to be more nuanced in my descriptions, but, no. He's just a douchebag.

The Yin to Mitchell's douche-y Yang is Steve Wiebe. A family man who lost his job on the day he and his wife signed the papers on a new home (Off-topic: I had something sort of similar happen to me and I can tell you--it sucks.), Wiebe is quiet and driven. He takes up Donkey Kong in his increased spare time determined to be maybe not the best, but, at least, as good as he can be. See, Wiebe is the kind of guy who's pretty good at a bunch of stuff, but has never been really great at one thing. Using his engineering skills (not to mention the hand-eye coordination he picked up as a drummer) Donkey Kong gives him his shot.

I can't say much more about the film's story without giving it all away, but suffice to say, The King of Kong unfolds as a slow-burning battle between two men who want to be the best at, of all things, an almost 40-year-old video game. Yes, it's all kinds of geeky, but the doc is shot in such a way that it becomes a real story with heroes and villains (guess which one Mitchell is? BTW--the director of the film says Billy-boy is a way bigger prick than is shown in the film).

Wiebe just wants his shot; his chance to prove he can be the best. It's impossible not to root for the down-on-his-luck engineer (who turns science teacher during the course of the film) who doggedly pursues his dream, traveling across the country to confront the naysayers and go joystick-to-joystick with Mitchell.

Mitchell is scared of being de-throned. That's the only explanation I can come up with for his behavior. This is a man who has built his life, his reputation on this one moment so much so that his friends and his parents--despite the fact that he owns a successful business--hold his Donkey Kong record up as his crowning achievement. It's sort of heartbreaking really. Not enough for me to excuse Mitchell's antics, but enough to make me go from cringing to yelling to, finally, just feeling sorry for the guy whenever he came on screen.

The King of Kong is an excellent little documentary. No matter how you feel about video games and the people who play them (and all the possible stereotypes and quirks are on display here), it's impossible not to get sucked into The King of Kong; into the battle for supremacy that has taken over the lives of two very dedicated men.