Because I Like Movies

The Greatest Show on Earth?

2011-10-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Water for Elephants--the life-under-the-Big-Top depression-era movie with Reese Witherspoon and Edward Cullen--will be released on DVD.

As a real life primer to the animal cruelty depicted in the film and book, check out this this investigation from Mother Jones about the disturbing practices that are still rampant at Ringling Brothers and the USDA's inability to charge the company with any violations.

Book Review: The Abbey (2011)

2011-09-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

The Abbey, by first-time author Chris Culver, is one of those less-than-a-buck-from-Amazon-ebooks. I wasn't expecting much. What I got was a taut thriller that, despite a few missteps in the third act, could give Michael Connelly or Jeffrey Deaver a run for their money.

The book opens with Detective Sergeant Ash Rashid heading to the family home of a recent murder victim to deliver the bad news. He's gone through this scene dozens of times before. It never gets any easier--especially now that the victim is his 16-year-old niece, whose body was found in the guest house of one of the city's most wealthy families.

Ash, who happens to be Muslim, left homicide some time before (his back story is hinted at and would make an interesting story on its own) but is fed information about his niece's case from an old partner. When the head of the homicide division closes the case with a resolution that's a bit too neat for Ash to stomach, he opens his own off-the-books investigation revealing crooked cops, a vampire club that may be a front for a drug den, and a crazed doctor who takes a personal interest in Ash.

Culver does a good job of fleshing out Ash as more than just a cop, but as a devoted husband and father and a semi-devout, but trying, Muslim. Ash is constantly at odds trying to balance his faith with what he must sometimes so to get through his days on the job. He's a person with real flaws that don't hinder his work and home life, but do hint at a darker future.

The book moves at a fairly brisk and believable pace for the first two acts. In the third, things falter as the story begins to fold under the weight of its subplots becoming a bit convoluted and wrapping up the main action a little too neatly.

The main selling point of The Abbey is the writing. The Abbey, like the best books in the genre, isn't lyrical--the writing is crisp and efficient, making it easy to fall into and travel with the story.

The Abbey is an impressive debut novel. It's proof that, perhaps, some of the more interesting new writers are eschewing the traditional publishing model for self-distribution.

I'm looking forward to Cullver's follow-up (supposedly featuring the same characters), which is due out later this year.

Buy The Abbey for the Kindle

New to Theaters: 9/16/2011

2011-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

Major releases this week include:

Drive
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston

Although, at first glance, it looks like a movie that might star Nicholas Cage in his post-Oscar action picture cash grab or as a soon-to-be cancelled series on Fox, Drive--starring Ryan Gosling as the Driver--is getting great reviews.

Gosling stars as an stuntman who spends his evenings as a getaway driver for armed heists. When his boss (played by Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad") gets in over his head to the local tough guys, the Driver gets involved with one of those "big score" jobs that define movies like this.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: Very Fresh (sitting at 93%)

I Don't Know How She Does It
Directed by Douglas McGrath
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer

I read this book! I didn't care for the story much, but the writing was great so.... That doesn't help us here, does it?

Sarah Jessica Parker takes time off from looking disappointed with Matthew Broderick and lobbying for Sex in the City 3: Nudist Colony to star as Kate, a 30-something (who's SJP kidding?) wife, mother, and financial analyst. To the rest of the world, Kate looks like the perfect everything, but she's drowning in a sea of her own stress. It's supposed to be a comedy. I think.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: Really Rotten (20% as of this writing)

Straw Dogs
Directed by Rod Lurie
Starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard

The original Straw Dogs (1971; directed by Sam Peckinpah) is one of the more challenging movies I've ever seen. Love it or hate it, it uses violence deliberately to challenge the viewer's ideas on morality and vengeance. It's a film that every burgeoning movie buff should seek out.

That's why this remake puzzles me. There's absolutely no need for it. I'll acquiesce that there's little need for most remakes, but this one befuddles me. Peckinpah's film is near perfect and Dustin Hoffman, in the main role as a timid man pushed over the edge, is absolutely brilliant. I just don't buy that this version, from the director/writer of the short-lived TV series "Commander in Chief" (remember? Geena Davis as the first female President?) and starring the hot vampire from "True Blood", will be much to remember. I sort of hope I'm wrong. The premise alone deserves a storyteller's respect and I would hate for a younger generation to know it only through a deflated remake.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: Rotten (Turns out I'm not wrong. Rent the original.)

My newest obsession: Desperate Housewives

2011-08-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since I cancelled cable, I find myself becoming obsessed with TV shows I couldn't have been bothered to watch before. So now I don't engage in the brainless clicking that comes along with having cable, but rather focus on the long-game story of watching seasons of TV shows on Hulu or Netflix. I can't say I watch less TV, but I enjoy it more.

Over the last year, I've watched the entire run of "Bones", "Eureka", and "Haven." My husband and I are working our way through the new version of Battlestar Galactica (excellent). My not-so-secret current obsession is with "Desperate Housewives."

When Desperate Housewives premiered (around the time of LOST, I believe) I dismissed it. Not sure why. Maybe I thought it was one of those shows where whiny women sit around and complain about all that is wrong with their lives--as long as those problems focus on their weight or love lives.

To be sure, there's plenty of love life talk on Desperate Housewives--making it the soap opera it is--but it's what else it offers that makes the show so much fun and kind of meaningful.

The show begins with a mystery. On Wisteria Lane in Fairview, USA, there are six women--all friends and, often, enemies. In the first moments of the first episode, one of those women, Mary Alice, commits suicide. Her friends--former model Gabrielle, perfect wife and mother Bree, neurotic Susan, stressed-out stay-at-home mom Lynette, and town harlot Evie--are left wondering why and through the season work out the secrets their seemingly happy friend kept buried.

Thus begins the formula and theme of Desperate Housewives: everyone has secrets and the residents of Wisteria Lane have more than their fair share: murderous mothers-in-law, sex fetishes, kidnapped babies, fake pregnancies, sociopathic siblings....

During summers as a child, my mom and I would watch Young and the Restless. She loved her soaps and as much as I pretended to loathe them, it wasn't true. Everyone was rich and looked perfect, but was far from it. There was something about that that seemed almost...honest.

Desperate Housewives, like the Young and the Restless, takes "reality" and pumps it up to 11. As an adult, I can appreciate that even more. Day-to-day life can seem so mundane, but we all have things we're dealing with: careers, kids, relationships, personal issues. Most of the time we keep these bits about ourselves under wraps, sometimes even suffering in silence. Soapy shows, like Desperate Housewives, put these issues (admittedly exaggerated for effect) front and center. Some may watch and feel better that their own lives aren't as complicated; others may even take some level of comfort in seeing a version of life where the facade is stripped down.

While the people of Wisteria Lane are flawed, the show also does a good job of showing people at their best. A hand to hold. A shoulder to cry on. A hug from a friend.

Yup, Desperate Housewives is often silly. Convoluted. Teetering on desperate. But what keeps it from falling over the edge are main ladies of Wisteria Lane--all incredibly different, but in them attributes every woman can relate to.

PR Pro Tip: Don't lie to me.

2011-08-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

This goes for clients to their publicists and publicists to the press and/or public. There's "spin" (a term I hate, by the way) and then there's lying. If you have to think about which you're doing, I assure you what's tripping off the tongue is an outright fabrication. Eventually the truth will be found out and we'll all end up looking untrustworthy (not to mention more than a little stupid).

New to Theaters: 8/19/2011

2011-08-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

Major releases this week:

Conan the Barbarian
Directed by Marcus Nispel
Starring Jason Momoa, Mickey Rourke, Rose McGowan

In this remake of 80s classic (?), Conan is played by a man who looks disturbingly like a Klingon. I think the story is more or less the same: vengeful warrior with bulging muscles decides to become the savior for an oppressed nation. I'm pretty sure you can expect sword fights, a few pretty girls, and some loin cloths.

Rotten Tomatoes rating: Rotten

Fright Night
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Toni Collette

With this and Conan opening, clearly this is 80s remake week. While I was never a Conan fan, Fright Night was one of my favorites. I understand that this version is a bit more graphic, but the story is the same: a mysterious stranger moves in next door to a suspicious teen and his single mother. The boy soon begins to suspect his neighbor is a vampire and enlists the help of his girlfriend, best friend, and a washed up horror star.

There are two things I want, nay need, from this remake: fun and Colin Farrell chewing up the scenery.

Rotten Tomatoes rating: Fresh

One Day
Directed by Lone Scherfig
Starring Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess

Based on a book that apparently a lot of people love, One Day follows two recent college graduates over the course of 20 years. They're polar opposites, yet hook up early on, and spend the next two hours playing "will they or won't they?"

Rotten Tomatoes rating: Rotten

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven

Why? Seriously. Why?

And what in the name of all that is holy is 4D?

Rotten Tomatoes rating: Really, Really Rotten (0% as of this writing....clearly I'm not the only one asking 'why?')

Winning at Airport Security Bingo

2011-05-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

This post was completed a few weeks back on a lonely business trip. Time clearly got away from me because I forgot to post it.

I had a plan. It was a good plan.

Today I flew for the first time since the infamous backscatter x-ray machines began working their way through our nation's airports. I had a speech prepared; one pulled from a website equally outraged at this silly attempt at security theater.

And then, for not the first time in my life, procrastination ruined my best laid plans.

Forty minutes to my flight. Security line snaked far past the ropes meant to contain it. Pre-prepared indignation put on hold.

I got to the front of the Phase One line. My friendly neighborhood TSA agent waved me over. I handed him my license and boarding pass. He was a younger short with one of those haircuts made popular by George Clooney and Matt Damon. I guess Jack Bauer had one too. Kinda.

He inspected my license. "Hey Ginger. How you doin'?" Like Joey from Friends. I want to call bullshit: he gets to crack jokes and I don't? Hardly seems fair. I made with my best "aren't you precious?" smile. That must have been what assured him I wasn't a terrorist. I wish he had told his co-workers.

I guess this is as a good a time as any to mention airports make me sweat. Not like Chris Farley or Kevin Smith sweat, but with all those bodies packed together, my natural inclination is to get a bit clammy. I've never had an out-of-body experience right at one of these special moments, but I have to imagine I don't look terribly comfortable.

Maybe that's why within a couple warm bodies of getting my laptop bag onto the security conveyer belt (Freedom--thar be up ahead!), one of Joey's TSA comrades set his eyes on me.

"Ma'am, you've been selected for additional screening."

"Excuse me?"

"Your hands. I need to swab your hands."

"Why?"

He looked nonplussed. I had deviated from the routine. For a brief second, my pre-prepared indignation did a happy dance.

"To ensure you have no materials on your person."

Let me translate: We need to make sure that between eating your bowl of Wheaties and driving to the airport this morning, you didn't decide to venture into a terrorist safe house to build a bomb.

Swabbing done. It was my turn at the backscatter. Yippee!

For those who haven't had the pleasure: you stand with your legs hip width apart holding your hands over your head with your thumbs and forefingers touching in a circle. Hold for eight seconds. TSA Yoga. DVD coming soon.

Completed with my dose of radiation, I was told to go two steps forward where a rather large woman had a surprise for me. Turns out I had won at Airport Security Bingo.

"Ma'am, you've been selected for additional screening."

I'd like to take a moment here to discuss use of the word "selected." I know that some of the greatest PR and branding minds the U.S. Government can afford probably sat around a table coming up with appropriate "soft" language; the kind of non-threatening verbiage that will put even a passenger with, say, a metric ton of explosives strapped to their genitals at ease. This word though drives me nuts though. It's too soft; too familiar. The TSA ain't Ed McMahon and a pat down isn't a really big check. I think we can all use a little honesty within this process.

I have to say--the pat down wasn't that bad. I won't be paying for the pleasure of Broomhilda (not her real name) anytime soon, but she was, shall we say, exceedingly gentle. She was almost clinical running her hands over me explaining her actions every step of the way. I was wearing a skirt and there wasn't even a hint of awkwardness there: she never went up, just lifted it slightly. Nice job, Sea-Tac.

The first leg of my journey was to Atlanta. My first single-serving friend (obligatory BILM movie reference) was a very nice man who looked and sounded a lot like Bill Engvall. I learned during our journey together that he was an airline pilot (so no "here's your sign" jokes then?) who had once flown commercial, but was now living and working in Japan flying private tours to Hawaii. A few minutes into the flight he fell asleep. Best single serving friend I've had in a while.

Things I've learned while traveling today:

Delta Airlines has the least leg room of any carrier I have ever flown. On the upside, their flight attendants actually seem to give a shit.
I'm susceptible to suggestive sneezing.
Attendants cannot take garbage while serving beverages.
Delta's coffee: not bad.
Sea-Tac airport has this freakish mural on the large windows next to main C gates. It includes a couple in bed flanked by what looked like a unicorn and the cowardly lion.

Dinner and a Couple of Movies: Pasta Al Pomodoro, The King's Speech, and Dogma

2011-05-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Meal
On tonight's menu: Pasta Al Pomodoro, a slight variation from the cover recipe featured in this month's Bon Appetit. This is an insanely easy "scratch" sauce to make, but has enough flavor to make it seem like you spent hours slaving away in the kitchen. This recipe makes four servings. My husband and I were able to go back for seconds and had a bit left over for next-day lunch.

This paired nicely with bread sticks and a strong red wine.

3 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 minced medium onion
2 minced garlic cloves (this might make some cooks shudder, but I used a garlic press)
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
One 28 oz. can tomatoes, pureed in a food processor or blender
1 Italian chicken sausage (skin intact)
1 tablespoon dried basil (or 2 spring of fresh)
12 oz. dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
kosher salt

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a small skillet on medium-low heat. Brown both sides of the sausage. Add 3 tablespoons of water, cover and let cook for 20 minutes, adding extra water as needed. Remove from heat. Slice sausage into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2-4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook until combined, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium, add pureed tomatoes, sliced sausage and season with kosher salt and basil; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and flavors meld, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving a 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Stir in as much cooking water as needed to loosen sauce; bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until sauce coats pasta. Remove pan from heat; add butter and Parmesan cheese. Toss until cheese melts. Add more cheese if desired.

The Movies

The King's Speech (2010)
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

I've been slacking on my Academy Award nominees. I saw so little in the theater last year...thank goodness for Netflix and AppleTV!

But, alas, even then I seem to drag my feet getting to films I know I'll like. It's as if I'm taking them for granted: they become my go-to movies for when I need something that won't disappoint. Of course, occasionally, these cinematic "sure things" are anything but.

The King's Speech was a "sure thing."

If you're like me and are late to the party that's been draping accolades on this fine film, The King's Speech is a historical drama about King George VI's (Colin Firth) struggle to overcome his stammer using the methods of an unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Yeah, it's a movie about speech therapy, but it focuses on the unlikely bond between two men from different walks of life. Before he becomes King, Prince Albert, Duke of York is the perfect austere picture of the monarchy save for his stammer, which is a constant source of humiliation and despair. His father (King George V) and his boorish brother don't understand why he can't just snap out of it. The only sympathetic figure in Prince Albert's life is his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), who finds Logue after the traditional treatments, which are more like torture than medicine, fail to work. Prince Albert is trapped, terrified and alone in his suffering; Lionel eventually gives him the tools to find his way out.

All the performances are top-notch, but Colin Firth is mesmerizing as Prince Albert/King George VI. Prince Albert is caught between a world that teaches him that by birth he's better than others and having to rely on a "commoner" to help him become who he was meant to be. It's not an easy role to play and in the hands of a lesser actor, Prince Albert might have been wholly unlikeable, a prig unable to step down from his gilded cage. But even in moments of angry outburst, Firth manages to show Prince Albert for the sad, scared man he is--a man who has accepted who he was born to be, but desperately yearns to be better than he is.

I remember reading some time back that Queen Elizabeth claimed to have never seen The Queen--the excellent movie where Dame Helen Mirren plays Her Highness in the days after the death of Princess Diana. I never quite believed that; if someone plays you in a movie, I can't imagine that your curiosity wouldn't eventually get the best of you. While The Queen was sympathetic in its portrayal, it wasn't always kind.

The King's Speech, however, is a love letter to King George VI's--Queen Elizabeth's father--courage and tenacity. The Queen apparently has seen it and said she was "moved." Apparently, Queen Elizabeth's mother had requested screenwriter David Seidel not make the film until after her death because she felt it would be too painful to watch. In these days of tell-alls and the tearing down of popular figures, the respect shown the family and the film's subjects makes me love The King's Speech all the more.

Dogma (1999)
Directed by Kevin Smith
Starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Alan Rickman, Linda Fiorentino
Rating: 8 out of 10

We decided to celebrate the non-Rapture with another viewing of Kevin Smith's controversial Dogma.

I first heard about Dogma on release because of the protests it raised around the country. The film was distributed by Lions Gate, who purchased the film after Disney and Smith supporter Miramax succumbed to pressure by groups like The Catholic League. The filmmakers received over 300,000 pieces of hate mail, including several death threats.

So was all the hoopla justified? As is often the case, no. This isn't to say the film isn't good--it remains one of my favorites in the Smith cannon--but there's nothing in it that should so easily rankle the ire of the religious. Smith is a Catholic, grew up going to Sunday school and has clearly spent a fair amount of time reading The Bible. With Dogma, he takes this knowledge and turns it into a raucous fantasy about a possible scenario for the end of the existence.

The thing is Smith is exceedingly respectful to the source material. Dogma could have been an exercise in questioning the morality and intelligence of those who believe in God (as so many films with pious characters do), but that's far from the case here. Where he does takes some pokes is at the Church, which is a creation of Man, rather than God directly. Smith's beef, if he has one, is with Man's interpretation of God's word and ideas, rather than in whether The Big Guy (or Girl) actually exists.

Smith, with Chasing Amy and the recent and excellent Red State, has shown the ability to take high level concepts and distill them down--sometimes too far down for many viewers' tastes. While every Smith film has its share of sex jokes and swear words, there's always an emotional intelligence to the characters and the story that can be tough for those fixated on the profanity to see. Dogma follows in this vein: Loki, The Angel of Death did God's bidding until his friend and fellow angel Bartleby questioned the morality of killing humans. In a drunken stupor, Loki, quits his job causing God to banish both angels out of Heaven to spend all of eternity in Wisconsin (another side effect: angels can no longer imbibe in alcohol). We join Loki and Bartleby as they discover a loop hole in dogmatic law: a church in New Jersey is celebrating a rebranding campaign with plenary indulgence, an idea in Catholic theology that acquits the punished for sins already forgiven. If they can get to the church and become mortal (which for an angel means removing their wings), they can pass into Heaven. One problem: all of existence relies on God being infallible. If these two are able to defy His decree, existence will be negated.

With me so far?

Because apparently God likes Skeet Ball and travels out of Heaven once a month to play, He isn't around to take care of the Loki/Bartleby problem. The Voice of God, aka the Metatron, asks for the help of The Last Scion, a Planned Parenthood employee who has been questioning the existence of God since her husband left because she couldn't bear his children. Reluctantly she agrees to travel to New Jersey and is given aid in the form of two bumbling prophets (Jay and Silent Bob) and the 13th Apostle, who claims he was left out of The Bible because he's black.

Dogma looks like a typical Smith film, which is to say it's pretty unremarkable. Where it shines--as all Smith movies shine--is in the story and dialog. It would have been easy to get mired down in minute details to try and prove a connection to God and faith or go so far to the other end of the spectrum making it near impossible to take seriously. Dogma strikes a delicate balance between using components of the Catholic religion to tell the story without being the story. Smith respects the mythology, but isn't afraid to bend it to suit the purposes of where he wants to go. In some ways Dogma could be seen as a parable for how Man uses religion, melding it and the message to suit specific purposes.

Dogma is a harmless and fun film. It doesn't aspire to uplift or inform, but it also isn't anything the religiously righteous should run from. Religion through the eyes of Kevin Smith is simply a path that one can choose to follow or not. He understands the big questions of faith and existence, but doesn't try to answer them--this isn't the movie for it and he realizes that those aren't his questions to answer.

Bad News: No Rapture

2011-05-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

It doesn't look like The Rapture is going to happen. It's like the news of a fourth Spiderman movie: all that build-up and then...nothing.

What I still can't wrap my mind around is why so much faith (excuse the pun) and airtime was given over to an 89-year-old ex-engineer turned "family" (read "Christian") radio station owner who used a series of convoluted calculations to predict the end of the world. If you read his "proof" (it's on his website and I don't care to promote him more in providing a link), it's based around random dates during biblical times and the number 23. You remember the number 23, don't you? Yes, a terrible movie in which Jim Carrey goes emo, but also a number doomsday whack-a-doos have been hanging their hats on for decades.

I wonder about the people who bought in to this "prophecy." Sadly I'm even loosely connected to someone who quit his job in preparation. On the front page of Reddit this morning, one of the top stories is a personal account of someone saving a German Shepard puppy from owners who wanted it put down before Jesus showed up. I wonder how many others quit their jobs, left their families, gave away their possessions for the coming of something that logic says isn't likely...even if you believe that the Rapture at some point is even a possibility.

I wish there was some real-world punishment that could be wrought on on our doomsday soothsayer. If he really believed his own hooey, one might think that would be punishment enough. No Jesus on a chariot to bring the believers to Heaven; he as the right-hand given his prediction to humanity. No fire and brimstone for the heathens.

But our non-hero has been here before making a similar end-of-times prediction in 1994. The sad truth is he'll do it again if given the chance. He may be concerned about his own salvation, but clearly he likes the attention too. The fact we gave so much to him when there's real news happening says more about us than it does about him and his followers. I heard more this week about the coming Rapture than I did about either President Obama's speech in Egypt or Queen's Elizabeth's visit to Ireland and those events are, you know. real.

I suppose the Rapture is an easier story though. People understand The End of Days. After all there's a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger (the subject of an equally silly, heavily reported Baby Mama story from this week) for easy reference. Besides despair breeds despair and there's nothing like God and his power to smite the non-believers as the ultimate Magic Bullet to life's problems.

I fear this won't be the last we hear about the Rapture coming to a neighborhood near you. The only good news is the centerpiece of this failed attempt is 89 years old. Time isn't on his side. He may not get another shot at scaring the shit out of us. That's okay--we're pretty good at doing it to ourselves.

Portal 2: First Impressions

2011-04-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

"I think you have a very mild case of serious brain damage."

I'm about six hours into Portal 2 and, unless the game takes a drastic, horrifying turn (which I doubt), it could end up becoming one of my favorites of all time.

If you haven't played the original Portal--what are you waiting for? The concept is simple: you wake up in hygienic starkness to a disembodied voice telling you that your blood work is back and good news! The testing can proceed.

The "testing" involves a series of puzzles masquerading as chamber rooms. The only tools you're given to complete these tests are a gun that allows you to create two portals at any one time (one to enter, the other to exit) and weighted cubes.

Your tests are monitored by an AI known as GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform Disc Operating System), who, by the end has, well, gone a wee bit crazy.

Portal 2 opens after your defeat of GLaDOS. You've been "resting" in the care of Aperture Laboratories, the company who runs the portal tests all in the name of science. Soon your slumber is permanently interrupted by what appears to be the arrival of Armageddon and a robot named Wheatley (hilariously voiced by Stephen Merchant) who gets you back into the testing chamber as a means of escape.

As with the original Portal, the puzzles in Portal 2 start off fairly simply, letting the player get the feel for using all the tools at their disposal. I'll often start each room with a couple minutes of just looking around, trying to get my bearings and attempting to recognize the design cues (slanted walls, portal-friendly pieces high up or on the ground, etc) that are scattered throughout.

This time around new elements, such as lasers and sky bridges, are introduced. Smart move--these make the puzzles feel fresh and new even to power Portal players. Later in the game, chemical compounds that provide the player unique abilities become available. While I loved the new design elements, these waterfalls of chemical goo, which allow a player to do things like jump like Tigger or cheetah sprint, have been my least favorite part of the game so far. It's a minor quibble really that's more about my ability to adjust when solving the puzzles than the inclusion of the goo.

But even if I get frustrated occasionally at goo deployment, the dialog and voice acting are more than enough to keep me portal-ing through. Wheatley is a brilliant little companion with several seriously laugh-out-loud lines. When GLaDOS finally returns (oh you knew she would...), she proves to be far snarkier than when you last met. Disgruntled over the fact that you, well, killed her, she becomes the queen of the back-handed compliment, insulting you every chance she gets.

A few twists and turns that come at what feels like the mid-way point change alliances and the course of the story to introduce the President of Aperture, Cave Johnson (perfectly voiced by JK Simmons). Cave's appearance marks a significant shift in the look of the game, which at first glance feels a lot like Bioshock. The good news is the game never strays too far from its core concept and simply uses these new elements to move along the story and game play.

As the best possible testament I can give to any game: I'm excited to log back in and see what happens next. The puzzles are interesting, the game looks great, and the dialog is silly, but sublime.There's no doubt I will be flummoxed, but the secret to Portal 2 is that frustration can be a heck of a good time.

And I haven't even touched co-op play yet....

A post in which I get serious. Sorry.

2011-04-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

I had just settled in for the evening. A piece of pizza, Diet Coke, and Portal 2: it doesn't get much better. Then my cell phone rang.

"I thought I should tell you that your grandfather has died."

It was my father and he delivered this bit of information coolly and in the same disinterested tone he used for everything: relaying the news of my mother's passing, scolding for unfinished chores, or ordering dinner at a restaurant. The only emotion his voice betrayed was annoyance at having to speak to me at all.

My relationship with my father (and my mother before she died) is contentious at best; toxic if I’m going to be honest. They’re not bad people—they're just the sort who's always over their heads. This resulted in a malaise and frustration with life that was palatable in our little nuclear family.

When I was growing up, my parents’ relationship always seemed to be on the verge of destruction. The glue that kept them together was the fact that my mother was completely dependent on my father: she didn’t work, drive, or have any interests outside of “The Young & the Restless.” Despite her random bursts of rage and need to be the center of everything, my father--knowing she would be helpless without him--stayed. For that I give him credit.

A central theme of my childhood was my parents’ need to blame the problems they had created on everyone and anything other than themselves. They ran from the creditors who were “out to get them.” We moved every six months because a new house would make my mother happier.

At a certain age (perhaps when I became old enough to question the logic of running away from everything) they turned their anger on me. Nothing violent--they were never physically abusive--but, quite literally, everything was my fault and my problem to fix. If they were fighting, I had to act as mediator. When my mother insisted on taking out my first 10-speed (purchased with saved birthday and lawn-mowing money) out for its maiden voyage, it was my fault she crashed and ruined her favorite blouse. (Nothing was said for the wobbly wheel that never was repaired.) My brother’s bad performance in school was a direct result of my good work--he couldn't reach the standard I had set earlier with his teachers. My mother quit her first--and only--job because the clothes I had bought for her were “ugly.” When they would run out of money every month? I’d hand over my after-school and weekend, saving-for-college paycheck.

I moved out at 17. Everyone thought that would be best.

They continued to ask for money. Soon that was the only reason they would call. They moved to California and couldn't be bothered to come back for my wedding unless I paid their way and let them stay in our house while we were on our honeymoon. After that, other than a few very awkward phone calls, we didn’t speak much.

Three weeks before my mother died, my father called to tell me she had cancer. She’d been sick for two years.

“I thought I should tell you,” he said.

My mother had had cancer scares before. More to the point, every ache and pain was a self-diagnosis of cancer. Several years before, she had called claiming she was very ill. It turned out not to be true....then.

My husband and I rushed down. Our first visit was with my parents and the hospice nurse, who kept having to stop her explanation of my mother's care to make room for my father's complaints. Did we know how long he had been looking after her? Did we know how hard taking care of her was? The hospice nurse was noticieably frustrated. She passed me her card. “Call me if there’s a problem.”

The rest of the trip did not go well. Mom was weak but lucid enough to imply her cancer was likely brought on by the stress of having me as a daughter. Their house smelled like death. My father brooded.

Three weeks later she died, but not before nurses intervened and took her from my parents’ home to a hospice facility. My father was seemingly unbothered by her screaming in pain when the meds just weren’t enough. He would talk with me over the phone in his usual “could I get a side of fries with that?” voice while my mother howled in the background. Needless to say, I used the card.

Now I was on the phone with my dad as he explained how his father had died that afternoon of a heart attack in the parking lot of a Japanese restaurant. My grandfather, a Marine colonel who fought in World War II, was 97.

A couple years before he’d had a stroke. While he had never come back completely, he was still able to stay in his home with a full-time nurse. My father made a point of stressing his days of sacrifice taking care of my grandfather.

There would be a service. I was not invited.

As it usually does with my parents, the conversation turned to money. It turns out, for some reason, my grandfather's nurse's son-in-law is the executor of the will. When I asked why, my father told me it was all very complicated and I couldn’t possibly understand.

“We know what it says though. All of the family and (the nurse) is included. Except you, that is,” he said. “Speaking of that, did you receive my will?”

A few months before, my father had left a message saying he was sending me his will in the mail. When it arrived, I wasn’t terribly shocked to find I wasn’t included. While there was no surprise, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little hurt that my existence was wiped clean from the document that would represent his life. I wanted to ask him why; not why I wasn’t a beneficiary—I don’t care about his money—but what was the point of sending it to me in the first place?

It wasn’t a great time, but he clearly didn’t care about my feelings so I took my opportunity.

“You mean the one that I’m not mentioned in? Yeah, I got it.”

"Yeah, that one. Good, good."

I paused.

“Why did you even send it? What was the point?”

Without missing a beat: “I thought I should tell you.”

The End of Cinematical

2011-04-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

Since I've had access to the Internet, I've been using it to read about movies. At one point or another, I began dabbling in writing about film, but for whatever reason--time, talent, take your pick--I could never do it quite as well as the film bloggers I loved to read on sites like /Film, CinemaBlend, or Cinematical.

Today, one of those sites has shuffled off its mortal coil. I'm very sad to write that Cinematical is no more.

A casualty of the AOL/Huffington Post merger, Cinematical's last days were spent in chaos with little communication between the new parent company and long-time Cinematical editors and contributors, many of whom jumped shipped right around the point they were sent an email saying they would likely be fired, but would be welcome to work for free.

I won't go into all the gory details. As someone who makes a living writing, it just makes me too damn sad. For those interested, former Cinematical writer Eric D. Snider's blog post about the debacle is essential reading.

While new AOL Overlord Arianna Huffington (a woman I once admired) has said she plans to hire full-time staffers to write for and manage the site, Cinematical's last post--about Blake Lively's upcoming work on Oliver Stone's "The Savages"--is dated April 12. There's no farewell post or update to readers as to why a site that was known for posting new content several times a day is in a coma. I suppose there might be no need: the fans already know. It bothers me though that this is the last breath of what was one of the first and best movie blogs.

So, even though none of them will likely ever read this, I want to thank the editors, writers, and staff of Cinematical for their outstanding work over the years. I didn't read Cinematical just for the reviews and commentary--I read it for the people who, through their great writing and insight, gave Cinematical a heart and a voice worth coming back for.

If Cinematical is somehow reanimated with a group of drones willing to sell their souls to work for The Overlord, it will be a shadow of its former self. I have no doubt and less interest.

R.I.P. Cinematical. You will be missed.

Oh, how I love Joss Whedon.

2011-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

At this moment, I'm sitting on my couch wrapped in a slightly-too-big sweatshirt (adorned with the chemical formula for caffeine--thanks ThinkGeek!) re-watching episodes of Angel.

I should say, I love Angel.

And David Boreanaz.

And Buffy.

And Firefly. I really love Firefly.

Then, of course, there's Nathan Fillion.

This post was, in fact, an excuse to post a picture of Nathan Fillion. Thank you for your indulgence.

The Hypocrisy of Dealing with Charlie Sheen

2011-02-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is obviously the face of a cracked-out mess, but I do find it curious that he was allowed to keep his job on a hit family sitcom while:

Having charges brought against him for beating his wife.
Trashing a hotel room in a rage after thinking a hooker he was with had stolen his wallet and watch. Said "contractor" looked herself in the bathroom fearing for her life.
Spending $500,000 on drugs and prostitutes over the past six months.
Going on a 36-hour drug and porn star spree, which landed him in the hospital.

He's been unrepentant about all this as he has been about his ongoing drug use and regular solicitation of prostitutes (including earning a place in the Heidi Fleis All-Star Club).

All of the above, totally fine if you're on a #1 rated sitcom about two brothers and one of their little boys. That families watch. That makes a ton of money. Need to lay everyone on set off (who make a fraction of what Sheen does, incidentally) so he can go to rehab? No worries. Just dandy. Sheen can even speak to the UCLA college baseball team while he's supposedly in said-rehab and tell them to don't do crack, unless they can handle it.

BUT the minute Sheen insults the show's creator off-set, on the radio? No more show.

I mean admittedly his rants were way over the top and insane (I mean, really, Vatican Assassin Warlocks? Everyone knows the Vatican only employs vampires.). But, after all he's done, why would you expect anything else? This is the man who believes that 9/11 was a controlled explosion.

This all just seems so completely fucked up, doesn't it?

This just in: Charlie Sheen is shopping a book. He wants $10 million.

60 Second Review: Unstoppable (2010)

2011-02-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Score: 8 out of 10

The star of Unstoppable is a runaway train that stretches a half-mile and is filled with an explosive, unstable compound that, if detonated, can take out several square miles.

Enter Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Denzel Washington to save the day.

Washington plays a 28-year veteran to the railway system and Pine is his cocky, young trainee. The two don't get along at first, but have to put aside their differences to stop the fugitive train from destroying the town in which Pine's character's entire family lives.

Needless to say, Unstoppable is a bit formulaic. Okay. More than a bit.

With action films, I'm okay with "formula" but it has to be good enough to pull me into the story, make me suspend what I know to be true. The logical part of my brain, which has been conditioned from years of watching movies directed by Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer, knows that no one important (to the plot of the film) will die and tragedy will be averted. A good suspense action film will flip on the emotional side of my brain--the part that makes me cringe at house spiders and believes there's an axe murderer in the woods outside my house--causing me to tense up and actually fear for the worse. It's like being on a roller coaster--you know the chances are slim the car will skip the track and you'll go plummeting to your death, but the it's the slightest hint of disaster that makes the ride all the more fun.

That's the best compliment I can pay to a movie like Unstoppable--I knew everything would be fine, but the film's intensity allowed me to, as they say, suspend my disbelief about a runaway train hurling itself like a missile at a sleepy Pennsylvania town.

Unstoppable is now available on DVD and as an iTunes rental.

60 Second Review: Unknown (2011)

2011-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger
Score: 2 out of 10

I love Liam Neeson.

I hated Unknown.

I'll concede to the potential of its concept: a husband and wife travel to Berlin for a conference. Upon arriving at the hotel, the husband, Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson), realizes he has left his satchel, which contains his wallet and passport, back at the airport. Without telling his wife (January Jones, who is terrible here for the same reasons she's great on 'Mad Men'), Harris hails a cab and heads back to find his lost luggage.

On the way, a refrigerator falls off a truck causing a chain reaction accident that ends with the cab flying into bone-chilling waters. Harris suffers a nasty bump on the noggin that leaves him in a coma for four days. When he regains consciousness, he's understandably worried about his wife, but with her, he also meets the man (Aidan Quinn) who has moved into his life and now claims to be Martin Harris.

For the first hour of Unknown's entirely-too-long two hour running time, not much happens save for Neeson running around claiming to be the real Dr. Harris. People tell him he's not. He insists he is. Rinse, repeat.

When Neeson's Harris finally enlists the services of a private investigator who was once a member of East Germany's Stasi, things perk up a bit. This is clearly a character with a past, but with the exception of one scene, his presence is squandered--as is Frank Langella, who shows up to give the film its big reveal. I'll give some kudos to the twist, which on first blush is quite ingenious, but by the time you find out who the real Martin Harris is, the film is so flawed, nothing can save it.

Unknown is now in theaters.

BILM Favorites: The Breakfast Club (1985)

2011-02-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

I was 11 the first time I saw The Breakfast Club.

My brother (who was 8 at the time) and I were in the living room. My parents had retreated to their bedroom. I had bribed my brother into watching Showtime--it cost me three dollars to watch The Breakfast Club during the channel's Saturday night premiere.

Before the film, which was introduced by Leonard Maltin, Showtime promoted their weekly trivia contest. That week's question: How much does John Bender bet that Claire is still a virgin? At 11, the question made me blush.

I had wanted to see The Breakfast Club in theaters, but while my parents never cared much about what I saw or did, there was no way they were going to take me, so I bided my time and kept my eye on the movie channels, which were newly minted in our sleepy, suburban neighborhood.

To be honest, I had a bit of a crush on Emilio Estevez. I can't remember what movie this started with or if my infatuation came from The Breakfast Club's iconic poster (which was shot by a young Annie Leibovitz). In any case, I'm sure I'm one of many who flocked to the film that would make its young leads bonafied stars because of teenage (or in my case, pre-teen) lust.

By the end of the film, my crush had switched to Judd Nelson, I knew the answer to Showtime's trivia question (a million dollars), and I fell in love with film.

In some ways, I wish I could say it was Citizen Kane or Gone With the Wind that led me down the path of film appreciation. That would sound more sophisticated, but it wouldn't be true. To this day, while I can appreciate the cinematic merits of both those films and countless other classics, The Breakfast Club still moves me, speaks to me. The Breakfast Club was the first film I had ever seen that felt like it was made for me. While there was a lot my 11-year-old self didn't quite get (When Bender says the seminal line "Calvins in a ball in the back seat past 11 on a school night", I wondered who Calvin was and why he was in a ball.), I recognized its honesty and the raw emotion laid bare by the film's leads. It was the first time I remember appreciating not only film making, but just how powerful great acting can be.

Sure, it's not perfect. There are scenes that feel inauthentic--Andrew Clark's drug induced dance mania (I don't know about you--but pot makes me sleepy) and Allison's make-over. On this last scene, I've always been conflicted--I love when she's finally brave enough to come out from behind her impossible bangs and the if-looks-could-kill glare she gives to Brian when he stares up at her, shocked. When he breaks into a smile, her sharpness fades and she simply says, "Thank you." That's the ultimate for this not-quite-broken girl, long ignored by her parents and society. It's perfect on that emotional level, but the idea that Allison should have a make-over in a film that is, on some level, about accepting who you are feels false.

The Breakfast Club changed cinema. It, along with other films by Hughes and his contemporaries, helped usher in a new day in "teen" cinema. These movies didn't rely on gross-out jokes or tits & ass; instead they spoke honestly to their audiences in a way that not only affected teens but made adults remember what it was like to be young, confused, and often, misunderstood.

I revisit The Breakfast Club once every few months. Usually when I'm sick or have had a tough day. It always welcomes me back and when Bender pumps his fist in the air just as the first beat of Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" begins the credits, I know it's always going to be okay to be a brain, a jock, a basket case, a princess, or a criminal.

Ever browsed through Blogger?

2011-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

I just did. What's with all the fitness and "if I post my diet goals here I'll stay honest" blogs? Needless to say a lot of them haven't seen a recent post in years. Guess the diet didn't work out....

Review: The Social Network (2010)

2011-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Directed by David Fincher
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Rating 5 out of 10

According to a lot of the rest of the world, The Social Network is the best movie of the year.

I'm having a hard time understanding why.

The Social Network is the story of Facebook or, more to the point, the site's creator Mark Zuckerberg, who, if the movie is to be believed, is a misogynistic, Type A with more work ethic than compassion.

According to the film, Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) isn't good with girls. Frankly, he isn't much good with anyone--male or female. The movie opens with him and his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) sharing a beer at a local bar. He goes to Harvard and, as he points out with contempt, she's a student at Boston University. In other words, to his mind, he's slumming it. Perhaps that's why he doesn't notice her frustration at his self-possessed rant against the Harvard club system. She takes a sip of her beer, comes to her senses and dumps him before the opening credits appear. Like a lot of college guys, Zuckerberg deals with this perceived injustice by drinking. Unlike a lot of guys, he blogs while he drinks. After indelicately comparing women to farm animals (wait...is there a delicate way to do that?) he creates a site called FaceMash, which allows anyone with Internet access to judge the physical assets of Harvard's female co-eds against one another.

This little stunt, which generates so much traffic that it ends up immobilizing Harvard's network, catches the attention of three upperclassmen, including the creepy Winklevoss twins, who ask Zuckerberg to help build a campus social networking site called HarvardConnect.

Zuckerberg takes the idea and runs with it...as his own. Several weeks later, he launches called The Facebook.

Dashed hopes, failed expectations, multi-million dollar lawsuits, and a manic Sean Parker (played with glee by Justin Timberlake) follow. Just another day in the life of Facebook. Here's the rub though: I hated every single person in this movie and I'm pretty sure that wasn't an accident. The Social Network is like a drama that might play out in wall posts on Facebook. The betrayal! The deceit! The backstabbing!

The movie does do a good job of showing these kids as a part of a generation that has been conditioned to believe in how special, unique and deserving they are. A little like Facebook I suppose. You have to be a little arrogant to believe that your "friends" actually care about what you ate for lunch. Of course, arrogance is often a personality trait in great leaders, but I would be shocked to find that Zuckerberg is as atrocious a communicator as this film makes him out to be.

And that leads me to the biggest problem with The Social Network: a lot of it simply isn't true. Of course, a nugget of the truth exists--Zuckerberg was sued by the Winklevoss twins as well as his business partner Eduardo Saverin after Zuckerberg creatively and cruelly pushed Saverin out of the company. Many facts though, such as the opening break-up scene that supposedly inspired Zuckerberg's social media creationist ways, are patently false.

Based off the book The Accidental Millionaires, so many liberties are taken with the real story of Facebook's founding that it can hardly even be labeled as "based on a true story" and interestingly, it's not. Sorkin has admitted in a number of interviews while promoting the film that he took a fair amount of license for dramatic flair. Yet, he still chose to use Zuckerberg's name...and Saverin's and Parker's. Of course, all this subterfuge didn't hurt anyone: The Social Network was a huge hit and made Zuckerberg TIME's Man of the Year. The last time I checked Facebook was continuing to grow on 500 million users. And, maybe, I have to wonder--was that the whole point of The Social Network?

At the end of The Social Network, I felt like I had just watched a magic trick. An aptly directed (though I don't agree this is David Fincher's best film--Zodiac is far better in every way), well-written one, but a magic trick nonetheless. The Social Network isn't much more than a two-hour behind-the-scenes infomercial for Facebook. Sure, the Eisenberg version of Zuckerberg may come off as abrasive, but he's hard working and earnest. The lie that begins the entire charade (remember the girlfriend in the bar?) comes around in the end to give Zuckerberg a shot at redemption--through the power of Facebook.

I didn't hate The Social Network, but I didn't much like it either. It feels like a ruse; a movie that was supposed to expose the dirty underbelly of Facebook but instead had all the bite of a gossip website--albeit one that helped with brand recognition.

I would hate to see The Social Network win Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards. People may try and use words like "scathing" to describe Zuckerberg's portrayal, but I would argue that it and a lot else about The Social Network are shallow. The film is less about Facebook and more about the mythology of Zuckerberg. The Social Network is like a page on Facebook--it's all about personal promotion making it hard to figure out what exactly is the truth.

60 Second Review: The Parking Lot Movie

2011-01-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Directed by Meghan Eckman
Rating: 6 out of 10

The Parking Lot Movie is about a corner parking lot behind a strip of bars and restaurants near the University of Virgina campus. More to the point, this documentary is about the men who work there.

Looking at the job and the experience through the eyes of 20+ years worth of employees, we learn that it takes a special kind of person to appreciate and do well the not-much-to-do-ness job of being a parking lot attendant. Some say the rude customers and ample down time allowed them to reflect on their place in the world; others--namely anthropology students--think of working the small booth as field work.

What they all have in common is a disdain for their customers' owners (the customers being the cars). This revulsion for snotty sorority girls, wasted frat boys and their condescending parents (who drive ever increasingly rotund SUVs) seems to increase every day, every hour while on the job.

As strange as it sounds, The Parking Lot Movie is a love letter to a parking lot and the its owner who does his level best to instill in his employees a feeling that they have power over this little paved corner of the world. What The Parking Lot Movie does best though is serve as a reminder to not judge a book by its cover--people with simple jobs are rarely simple people.

Why I Admire Kevin Smith

2011-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, writer/director/podcast star/entrepreneur Kevin Smith’s new film, Red State opened at the Sundance Film Festival. Initial reactions to the film have been mixed, but most agree that the political/horror film is unlike anything Smith has done to date.

For weeks, Internet movie bloggers—those folks who somehow make a living at it—have been dissecting Smith’s tweets and came to the conclusion he was planning to auction off the film immediately after the screening. How much would it go for? Would the film, which stars Academy Award frontrunner Melissa Leo, open immediately? How would Smith fare at Sundance over 15 years after getting his start there with Clerks?

It turned out Smith had another trick up his sleeve: he sold Red State—to himself. He then announced he would tour the film this spring to 12 large venues across the country with the goal of making back at least half of the film’s slightly less than $4 million cost. Red State will open to a wider audience in October under the distribution of his own studio. Oh, and he announced after his next film—a love letter to hockey called Hit Somebody—that he would retire from directing to help others get their movies made.

The reason Smith is doing this is simple: whether you love or hate his films, there’s little argument that he’s an old school independent filmmaker. He’s efficient. His films often cost less than $5 million. You don’t hear about his shoots going over schedule or budget. In this day and age, that’s an anomaly. Every project is a labor of love and Red State is no exception.

In the typical studio formula, a filmmaker’s control usually ends when the film is complete leaving the studio’s marketing department to promote and advertise it any way they want. Who of us hasn’t been lured into the theater by a deceptive trailer? Add to all this, national marketing and advertising campaigns cost several times more than what a Kevin Smith movie does. So Red State, which wrapped at about $4 million, in the hands of a traditional distribution house would likely have to make $15-30 million to break even. By selling the film off, Smith may make his initial investment back, but the chances of the film being seen as a financial failure would be greatly increased (the typical Kevin Smith film makes about $30 million). Plus, he would give up creative control on a project he has spent several years languishing over.

To Smith, these numbers and facts simply don’t add up.

After Smith announced his plans for Red State, some bloggers and entertainment reporters missed the point. There were Twitter rants and rages over Smith’s perceived subterfuge. They wanted an auction! They wanted bloodshed! They wanted to go back to their safe corners and speculate if Red State would be the joke Cop-Out has become! Instead they got an idea. Parts of it aren’t groundbreaking (indies like Bubba Ho-Tep have toured the country before), but others (Smith retiring to throw his indie cred and expertise at a studio to help others break into filmmaking) are at least interesting and have the potential to create a ripple effect in the independent world. That’s a good thing. While plenty of truly independent films still exist, many touring the larger festivals are just Big Studio productions packaged under sub-house names. This isn’t to say these offerings aren’t any good, but they aren’t ‘independent’ in the spirit of the word.

I have my doubts that Smith can pull off what he is proposing on a wide scale (that is, on films other than his own), but it’s exciting he’s trying. Smith, again and again, has proven that his art is his passion. Sometimes that art takes the form of two guys hanging out in front of a convenience store or an archangel trying to find a loophole back into Heaven, but, as they say, art is subjective—it’s to the viewer to decide whether it has merit. And to Smith’s credit, he has always owned who he is—a film fan with a blue streak and a working class background with a penchant for writing dialogue. Despite his detractors (and if the Internet is to be believed…he has many), Smith has built a tidy career for himself. He tries new things (Red State; directing a studio picture he didn’t write with Cop-Out), but, ultimately, stays true to who he is and who he knows his fans want him to be.

The other fascinating thing about Smith is how completely accessible he is—something that, for him, I imagine can be a blessing and a curse. He waged a very public war (with his over 1.5 million followers not always coming down on his side) with SouthWest Airlines last year in “Too Fat to Fly”-gate. He spills the beans on just about everything in his life—from how he met his future wife to being intimidated by Bruce Willis while shooting Cop-Out—in hilarious Q&As he holds around the country. He has built a podcast network—called Smodcast—with popular offerings hosted by Smith and others from the View Askew universe. He once protested his own film (Dogma) claiming to be offended by it even though he had never seen it. For the premiere of Red State at Sundance, he riled up members of the Westborough Baptist Church (which the villains in the film are based upon) so they would come and picket. Like in his films, Smith likes poking fun at the seriousness of life by making a joke of almost everything.

Smith is the P.T. Barnum of the film world and I don’t mean that as an insult. He’s a master of promotion and has continued to work seemingly on his own terms. He owns his reputation—whether that’s as a celebrated young auteur at Sundance or the guy who got thrown off an airplane. He doesn’t apologize, but he has the potential to surprise—and that’s what he did this past Sunday. Kevin Smith is his own industry; his own reality show.

I, for one, am looking forward to what happens next.

Will Smith is remaking 'Annie'

2011-01-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

My mom was a big fan of musicals. Dad had westerns; mom had musicals. Think Sound of Music, Paint Your Wagon, Oklahoma, West Side Story. When we bought our laser disc player, she played these and anything from Leonard & Bernstein in a seemingly endless loop. The only one I could stomach was Annie.

Now Will Smith wants to ruin my childhood.

Okay, maybe that's not fair, but I'm not too hopeful.

Smith, through his production house Overbrook Entertainment, is remaking Annie for--wait for it--his 9-year-old daughter, Willow. She will play Annie. She of Whip My Hair fame.

Jay-Z, who produced Willow's single, will be involved in the music for the film. Clearly, I think this means It's a Hard Knock Life will sound a bit different. Maybe more like this?

I am not hopeful.

It's that time of the year...

2011-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

The nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced this morning. I have seen shockingly few of the nominated films. Like not even Social Network and that's embarrassing to admit because, well, you know.

Here are a list of the nominees from the major categories:

Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

My Uneducated Take: I like that they gave a token nod to Toy Story 3, but token is all it is. It won't (and, in my opinion, shouldn't) win. Despite Inception being a huge hit, I don't think it'll go home with the top prize. My money's on Black Swan or The Social Network.

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
David O. Russell for The Fighter
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David Fincher for The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit

My Uneducated Take: I would bet on Aronofsky, although I'd like to see Fincher win. It might kinda sorta make up for the Academy completely snubbing the fabulous Zodiac. Okay, not really.

Best Actor
Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Colin Firth in The King's Speech
James Franco in 127 Hours

My Uneducated Take: Jeff Bridges was great in True Grit, but he won last year and I don't see him pulling a Tom Hanks. Too few people have seen Biutiful and 127 Hours. This is Eisenberg's first nomination and he's young so I don't see him winning. I think this is Colin Firth's to lose.

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale in The Fighter
John Hawkes in Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner in The Town
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

My Uneducated Take: Bale. He won the Golden Globe and has the kind of body of work voters like to reward. This isn't to say there can't or won't be an upset. Bale certainly has his detractors. If not Bale, I'd love to see Jeremy Renner or Geoffrey Rush win.

Best Actress
Annette Benning in The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

My Uneducated Take: I'd love to see Michelle Williams win. We should reward films that aren't afraid to be honest. Alas, I think he nomination is simply a token. The frontrunner here is likely Natalie Portman, who won the Golden Globe and with whom Hollywood is in the middle of a love affair.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech
Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom

My Uneducated Take: Jacki Weaver is the surprise here. She won't win. Why is Hailee Steinfeld nominated in a supporting role when she was in 90% of the film? She was fabulous and could win ala Anna Pacquin in The Piano. I hope Leo and Adams don't cancel each other out as sometimes happens when multiple nominees are in the same category from the same film. Considering all the love around The King's Speech, Helena Bonham Carter could easily take this one.

A couple of snubs that come to mind: I would have like to have seen more love for The Town. Ben Affleck deserved a little thrown his way. Aren't we over hating him yet?

Also, I know it's been a strong acting year, but what about the Keira Knightley and Carrey Mulligan from Never Let Me Go? Or even Andrew Garfield for that matter.

Speaking of the next Spiderman...no acting nods (other than Eisenberg) for The Social Network? I bet Justin Timberlake (who I understand was great) is sad.

Over the next few weeks I plan on catching up with my movie watching and will try to post thoughts as they come to me!

I now have another reason to hate Comcast.

2011-01-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

In 2010, I became a movie- and TV-loving, news junkie without TV. It's not that I wanted to "cut the cord." I'm not one of those people. I love watching TV. I love mindlessly flipping channels. I love all the world of bad reality TV. I love all the cable news networks--even Fox.

What ended my relationship with traditional television (six months and counting...) was a year-long fight with Comcast. I won't get into the gory details, but will offer three pieces of advice if you're a customer of Xfinity, Comcast, Con-artists, X-Men, or whatever they're calling themselves these days:

1.) Always ask if the rate they're offering you is a special. Don't trust anything they say.

2.) If you have direct payment, check your statements diligently to make sure the charges are what you believe they should be.

3.) If you're ever transferred to the "Customer Retention Department", know that the person who picks up the phone has no interest in retaining you as a customer. In all likelihood, this person will do everything they can to bully you into submission or force you into canceling. As an example, my "Customer Retention Representative" accused me of lying and questioned the existence of my mother-in-law (it's a long story).

After a year of almost weekly "chats" with my friends at Comcast, this was the last straw. I canceled my service, bought an AppleTV, and weaned myself from marathons of "Millionaire Matchmaker."

I thought my relationship with Comcast was over, but like an ex-boyfriend at a mutual friend's barbecue, all those bad feeling have come rushing back with the news that Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" is no more.

To be fair, details are twitchy. Some, including Rachel Maddow (via an appearance on Bill Maher's HBO show), say the decision was mutual. Others say he was fired because NBC's new overlords (aka Comcast...as of yesterday) don't think he knows how to play nice. I tend to think the latter is closer to the truth and not just because of my ugly break-up with Comcast. There have been rumblings since the FCC started considering the buyout of NBC by Comcast that the monopolistic cable provider wanted changes over at MSNBC. The fact that the deal was approved yesterday and Olbermann is out today (coinciding with the departure of NBC chief Jeff Zucker, one of Olbermann's biggest advocates) seems like too much of a coincidence.

To be sure, Olbermann never had a reputation for towing the line or holding his tongue. In November, he was suspended for making campaign contributions that fell outside the rules MSNBC has for its hosts (despite the fact Joe Scarborough was allowed to make such contributions until media outlets began to point out the double standard). Behind the scenes, many reports suggested there was no love lost between Olbermann and his bosses. He suggested as much on his show and even referred to the strife in his farewell. While his ratings had declined over the last year, he was responsible for landing MSNBC at a comfortable second place (behind Fox, but ahead of CNN) in the cable news wars. He was, as of yesterday, the highest rated show on MSNBC.

Love him or hate him, he was the counter-voice to people like Bill O'Reilly. And unlike other supposedly left-leaning hosts before him, Olbermann apologetically wore his liberal views on his sleeve and had no problem calling out the bullshit of politicians and other political pundits.

With the end of "Countdown", there's one less voice on air who believes that health care should be a right, big business is less important that worker rights, and the wealthiest among us should pay their fair share. Last year, Olbermann suspended and then revived a lighter version of his "Worst Persons in the World" segment, which called out bad behavior by GOP members and media. Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Lou Dobbs were frequent targets. He was criticized for the segment and that was why, supposedly, he chose to do away with its harsher tone. Olbermann softened while Limbaugh continued to compare Democrats to Nazis and Glenn Beck predicted the end of the world and called President Obama a racist. Then, of course, there's Sarah Palin and that now infamous crosshairs political poster.

Olbermann may have had his critics and his abrupt departure raises questions about what's to become of MSBNC, but, at least by me and the people who enjoyed his show, "Countdown" will be remembered as an unflinching watchdog for the more liberally-minded. I'll miss his perspective and, unlike Comcast, hope we meet again soon.

Sharing some photos

2010-12-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Check this out: The Making of The Walking Dead

2010-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

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'

2010-04-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

This absolutely made my day.

Review: Shutter Island (2010)

2010-03-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-03-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-03-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Review: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

2010-02-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Starring George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino
Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Between his stint as George the handyman on "The Facts of Life" and being considered one of the sexiest men alive, George Clooney starred in this horror-cum-action flick as a thief with a wicked neck tattoo on the run from the law with his brother, a bespectacled Quentin Tarantino. After kidnapping a fallen preacher (Keitel) and his kids, the brothers use the family to escape to Mexico and a strip club where they're supposed to wait out the night and meet their partner in the morning. One problem: the club is an all-night buffet for vampires.

Co-written by Tarantino, Dusk is full of the kind of wit and humor fans have come to expect. Of course, this was 14 years ago so it's safe to say Dusk help set the Tarantino tone. And, as expected, the violence is brutal and over-the-top and the woman are beautiful (Dusk features a serpent-handling Salma Hayek).

But does it hold up over a decade later? As a story, sure. It's an interesting set-up, but the execution is a little choppy. What doesn't hold up are the special effects, but only in terms of what we've come to expect. The Titty Twister is no Pandora, but it's actually sort of refreshing to see monsters become so sans CGI.

Bottom line: I'll pick Dusk every day of the week and twice on Sunday over Twilight and as a vamp flick with a sense of humor, you could do a lot worse.

A Couple of Weird Stories

2010-02-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of bizarre entertainment stories making the rounds:

Actress with Down's Syndrome proves to be more logical and reasonable than Sarah Palin. Last Sunday's episode of "Family Guy" featured the voice of Andrea Fay Friedman, an actress with Down's Syndrome who has a career going back to 1992 as a regular on "Life Goes On." In the episode, Friedman's character says her mom was "governor of Alaska." Palin, of course, in her usual indignant, hypocritical, knee-jerk way called out the show as being insensitive and said the reference was like "a kick to the gut."

Friedman is telling Palin to lighten up. She thought the line was funny and had fun playing the role. The best bit from Friedman's statement though:

"In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes."

Amen, sister!

William Shatner cast to say "Shit." Seriously. The Emmy-winner (for Denny Crane in "Boston Legal"--wow, I miss that show) has won the role of the dad in the TV series based on the Twitter phenom Shit My Dad Says. The show will follow the life of a 29-year-old forced to move back home with his 70-something dad who has a penchant for swearing and telling it as he sees it.

While I'm sure the show will end up just like every other mostly-unfunny sitcom on TV today, the casting of Captain Kirk will mean I'll at least give it a chance.

A Little Late to the Party....

2010-02-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

But I'm here and want to talk a bit about Kevin Smith and Southwest-gate.

Just the Facts
On Valentine's Day evening, writer/director Kevin Smith was booked on a Southwest Airlines flight home from a morning gig. He arrived to the airport early and was able to get on standby for an earlier flight. He was "lucky" enough to score the last seat.

It was a middle seat and, as Smith was getting settled in, the gate agent appeared to tell him there was a problem. A security problem, she said. After dancing around the subject a bit, it became clear she was saying Smith was too fat to fly. This, despite the fact Smith met Southwest's own criteria for being able to fly in a single seat; he was in his seat, armrests down, and not encroaching on the seats next to him. The passengers he was seated between were fine. No complaints there. But, yet, somehow he was deemed a "security risk" and whisked off the plane as if he had tried to light his underwear on fire.

The Southwest Airlines gate agent (who through Smith's SMODcast we learn is named Suzanne) took Smith off the flight said the airline would make it up to him. What did that mean? She left him waiting ten minutes after the on-board debacle, was evasive about why the decision was made (i.e. she kept claiming it was the pilot's call even though there was little chance the pilot would have even been able to see Smith--much less Smith in his seat), and then, Suzanne and her manager, offered Smith a $100 voucher for his trouble. Wow. I had no idea the going rate for public humiliation was so low.

A Little Blue Bird Told Me...
Smith, in his anger, took to Twitter, which he does just as often on a random day of the week. He has almost 1.7 million followers. After flying home (on Southwest--he had tickets and just wanted to get home; plus had he not been there he wouldn't have seen a young lady named Natali almost suffer the same indignity), Smith fired up his popular SMODcast to vent his frustration. A series of YouTube videos followed. Media and bloggers, often with a a strange level of vitriol or with just plain old bad facts, jumped on the bandwagon. The most famous of all Internet weasels--the board commenter--showed up to express opinions ranging from shock and outrage over Smith's situation to caustic and hate-filled comments directed at fat people in general.

Not-So-Silent Bob
That title is how Southwest decided to begin their blog post "apology" to Smith, which was little more than "sorry you had a bad experience, but we did nothing wrong."

While, apparently, Southwest reached out to Smith several times (beginning, ironically, through Twitter; would they have even tried had he not made such a stink to his followers? I'm guessing no.) and while, privately, according to Smith, he was told the problem was not his size, the public Southwest face has kept up the "we're really sorry he's fat" mantra. Following the Southwest blogs though (as Smith did and posted on his blog) it's clear there has been some silent, internal damage control happening on their story.

Why Smith Deserves a Real Apology
...and why it should be followed by an apology to everyone who has ever been effected by Southwest's "customer of size" policy.

The most obvious reason, in Smith's case, is he wasn't in violation of the policy. Before that fateful Valentine's Day, he flew Southwest a lot--often in one seat. Yes, on occasion, he would buy two seats (something Southwest shared with the world in the blog above; so much for privacy), but, according to Smith, this has more to do with not wanting to sit next to anyone than because he needs it for comfort. Who can't sympathize there? Not only do airlines increasingly pack people together like cattle headed to slaughter, but everyone has a story about sitting next to some mouth-breather. If you're Silent Bob, a hero of the "slacker" generation, I have to imagine flying can sometimes be a trying experience.

So he didn't violate the policy. Case closed. There's so much more to this though:

Southwest's "customer of size" policy is an arbitrary PR nightmare. If you're going to ask your employees to go to your customers and tell them they are essentially "too fat to fly," you need to have rules in place for how and when it should be done. I have little doubt that there are people who can't fly in one seat and there are situations where this needs to be brought to a customer's attention. But, the defining measure of whether your policy is truly effective, is that the person affected still feels like a valued customer. Let's take humiliation out of the equation. Try a little kindness; it can go a long way.
If you pay for a service and don't receive it, that's a problem. I wish I could say I've been shocked at the reaction of the trolls who have gone out of their way to defend Southwest. Being fat is up there with being ugly as one of the few things we're still allowed to discriminate against. Personally, I'd rather sit next to a very large person than a smelly one. And, sorry, the rankest souls I've ever been near have been pretty thin. What if Southwest started a "customers of fragrance" policy? Somehow I don't think that would've gone over quite as well.

What all consumers need to remember is by letting one injustice slide, the door is open for others. Who knows? Maybe they'll be coming for you next.

Lawyers and publicists makes strange bedfellows. I'm in PR. Unlike the slimy hacks you see in movies or on TV, most publicists I know recognize a crisis situation where their client has screwed the pooch and will tell them to apologize. Subterfuge does nothing but breed resentment and distrust. The problem is everyone is scared of getting sued. So when Smith relates a conversation he had with Linda (who it's pretty clear is from some level of Southwest's PR department) where she sincerely apologizes, says he wasn't too fat to fly, and wants to make the situation right, but then posts another BS blog full of hyperbole and double-speak, it's clear the lawyers got involved. That's too bad, because a transparent apology could have gone a long way to improving this situation as well as customer relations as a whole. Free PR tip: there's no shame in admitting you're wrong. People/corporations make mistakes. What makes you look like an ass is pretending like nothing happened.
Say what you will about Twitter, but it's changed the conversation. And it's changed the way smart publicists and companies think about PR. Kevin Smith has 1.7 million followers not just because he's That Kevin Smith, but because his posts are funny, interesting, and relate-able. While CNN and other news outlets make a big deal of celeb followers, plenty of regular people have thousands or millions of followers. Or a blog. Or an active Facebook following. Or is an online journalist. It's so easy to have some level of a platform now and even if a post isn't reaching thousands of people all at once, it's always there--a grim specter of horrible customer service haunting the Internet. People will always bitch and there's not much a company can do about that--BUT good PR and customer service can go a long way to minimizing it. And part of that means--and this is hard to do--sometimes leaving the lawyers out of the room.

Okay, I think I've written enough about this--save for one thing:

I want to pretend for a moment that I work for Southwest.

I just had a tiny heart attack at the nightmare of this situation. After I take a belt of scotch and the ticks subside, I would suggest taking Smith up on his offer to publicly prove he can fit into the seats. Do in private first (if he'll agree). Offer a sincere personal apology. Then go on a major network show and do it all over again. Tell the world that you stand by your overall policy but are reviewing the procedures around it because all of your customers are important and you want to make sure everyone has a great experience. And then actually do it. Train your employees to handle these situations so the poor person who has to be told they must purchase a second seat feels a minimal level of humiliation. It's not easy and there will be rogue employees, but it needs to be done.

So now that that's over....who wants to talk about Tiger Woods?

Best,

Nikita

New to Theaters (1/15/2010)

2010-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

It's January and that means one thing: every Friday is a dumping ground for films the studios have no faith in. Up this week:

The Book of Eli
Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes
Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman
What it's about: The world is a dust-bowl and despite the lack of food and water, the world's worst baddie (Oldman) really just wants the last Bible on the planet. He'll have to battle Mad Max, erm, Denzel to get it.
Nikita's thoughts: I'm conflicted--I like Denzel and Gary and the trailers don't look that bad, but I know that being released in January means it's probably a dog.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 43% (Rotten)

The Spy Next Door
Directed by Brian Levant
Starring Jackie Chan, Billy Ray Cyrus, George Lopez
What it's about: Jackie Chan is a baby-sitting spy. Really.
Nikita's thoughts: I hate to be blunt...wait. No, I don't. There is no way this movie can be watchable.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 4% (Toxic mold)

Opening in Limited Release:
Fish Tank

Expanding:
The Lovely Bones

Spiderman?

2010-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. God. Please don't let this be true.

Isn't it bad enough that Sony wants to "reboot" a franchise that is a.) less than a decade old and b.) one of the most successful of all time? Now are they really considering going all dude-that-played-a-sparkly vampire-and-looks-like-he-stinks on us?

I present to you...

2010-01-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Jack Bauer in a dress. Or why I really like Kiefer Sutherland.

He lost a bet with a friend over a Patriots' football game and had to wear that sexy garb on Letterman.

From the interview: "This may be the most humiliating moment of my life. And I've had quite a few to choose from."

Sorry, Kiefer, nothing is more humiliating than being a part of a marketing campaign that proclaims "New York is about to get Jacked!"

Conan Moving On?

2010-01-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

The answer is 'yes' if NBC decides to go along with their plans and move Leno back to 11:35 p.m. and push Conan to 12:05 a.m. This according to a a charmingly funny and well-thought-out statement from Conan himself.

I've worked with Conan O'Brien and his producers over the years and they're a great bunch of people. It'll be a sad day if Conan really does pull the plug, but who could blame him? Six years ago, he was promised 'The Tonight Show' once Leno retired, which was the plan last year. But like the mafia, NBC pulled Leno back in. This would have been fine had they found another venue for Leno once it became clear the 10 p.m. experiment was a gigantic disaster.

So what will Conan do? I have no reason to believe he isn't a man of his word so he'll be gone should NBC push the issue and actually make 'The Tonight Show' the 'First Thing in the Early Morning Show'. I suppose the two men could share the slot--but that would be, not only unprecedented, but a little disjointed. While they have some overlap in audience, Conan's tends to be younger and I don't think there's much crossover in their comedy.

There's always Fox. If the rumors are to be believed, Fox would like to reboot their late night efforts by offering Conan the gig. Many are pointing to Fox's failed attempts at late night fare (poor, poor Chevy) as to why that would be a boneheaded move. I disagree. For some reason, no one remembers Arsenio Hall (which could be the problem, I suppose)--who courted an audience of younger viewers for five years on Fox. They can market a late night show if the package is worth promoting and Conan certainly is--he has proven late night chops and has a built-in audience who will follow him wherever he goes.

In addition, on Fox, Conan would likely get a jump on the competition: most Fox affiliates air their network news at 10 p.m. meaning Conan could take the screen at 11 p.m. This could not only give a nice boost to Conan's ratings but also to local affiliate news casts.

And then there's Leno who has been strangely quiet (outside of his nightly monologues) on the subject. From everything I've heard, Leno is a good guy, a nice guy, and I find it kind of confounding that he's okay with this whole scenario considering he started it by retiring. Putting aside any encouragement he may have been given to retire, it feels like the stand-up thing to do would be to step aside and let Conan and Jimmy Fallon have their time.

The only scenario here that doesn't work for me is Conan leaving TV.

I hope that's not even an option.

New to DVD (1/5/2010)

2010-01-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Time to update the Netflix queue--here's what's new today on DVD:

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Directed by Chris Miller and Phil Lord
Voiced by Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T
What it's about: Animated tale about an environmental culinary disaster. Or, really big meatballs falling from the sky.
Nikita's thoughts: I support any film or TV show that hires Bruce Campbell. Plus I love animation.
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 85% (Certified Fresh)

Final Destination
Directed by David R. Ellis
Starring Shantel VanSanten and a bunch of other people you have never heard of
What's it about: Attractive teenagers are stalked by the grim reaper...again.
Nikita's thoughts: Doesn't there come a point when it's time to put a franchise no one cares about to bed?
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 28% (Rotten)

Also released this week:
Chuck: The Complete Second Season (TV)
Hip Hop Project
Lorna's Silence
Trucker

What I Learned in 2009

2010-01-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

It feels premature to do a "Best of" film list for the year--I haven't seen nearly enough. Instead I've decided to highlight what film and other media taught me in 2009.

There's still plenty of evidence vampires don't sparkle. Let the Right One In, both the novel and Swedish language film, should be enjoyed before the Hollywood-ized, surely Twilight-inspired version drops next year. Vampire priests have more to struggle with than their eternal souls according to the fabulous Korean film, Thirst. And, of course, there's the chilling, sexy, and surprisingly sweet and funny HBO series "True Blood."

Forgiveness is possible. For example, Aldo Raine (Inglorious Basterds) has made me forgive Brad Pitt for Benjamin Button.

At least Sarah Palin isn't pandering. No matter what I may think of her politics or her folksy ideology, I have to hand it to the former VP candidate--what you see is what you get: a gun-totin', moose-huntin', ultra-conservative Alaskan mama. Now she may be a little delusional (as people who have combed through the "facts" in her book claim) and have so bought into her own self-importance that she believes simply existing is the same as doing something, but at least she isn't Glenn Beck, who became a hard-core GOP shill right around the time Fox News offered him a job. Beck's crocodile tears and sycophantic rants will continue as long as the checks keep rolling in. Mama Palin? She'll be with us until the "liberal" media stop following her every move and convincing her of just how gosh darn important she is.

Oprah means well. She just has a hard time telling the difference between real science and snake oil hyperbole.

All it takes it a rousing rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" and I'll watch your show every week. "Glee." The best new show of the season.

When you wish upon a star, your dreams CAN come true. Disney, a return to hand-drawn animation, The Princess and the Frog. Enough said.

There are talking heads on both sides of the fence. I love Keith Olbermann, but he is, in many ways, the liberal equivalent of his arch nemesis Bill O'Reilley.

The exception is Rachel Maddow. I was going to bundle this in with the one above, but it deserves it's own listing. Unlike her counterparts (and sadly network news), she talks about actual news and isn't afraid to engage in real debate and discussion with people who are far removed from her personal ideology.

There's still good serial TV out there--you just need to know where to look. "Mad Men", "Burn Notice", "True Blood", "LOST", "Fringe", "Castle", "Chuck", and "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency" just to name a few. And then there's "House", which came back strong after a few lackluster seasons.

There are still artists who won't compromise. If there weren't we wouldn't have films like Where the Wild Things Are. Thank you, Spike Jonze.

Animated films can be just as honest and moving as live action. I actually already knew this one, but I think some previous unbelievers shook off their disdain with Up.

Sometimes it's possible to have too much of a good thing. The first "exclusive look" at Avatar was fun, but then it felt like every show, every day had something "new and exciting." Then there was the episode of "Bones" created to basically sell the film. The most disappointing part about this ostentatious marketing/advertising campaign was it felt like they were selling a Michael Bay film; not a movie Cameron put his heart, soul, and a decade of his life into creating. And with that....

When people call something a "game changer" it usually isn't. A true "game changer" is something that usually can't be readily identified--it sneaks up on an audience, an industry and changes how we feel, think or do things, not because it sets out to do that, but because it's so good it can't be ignored. Cameron has a game changer--it's called Titanic. Love it or hate it, it can't be denied what he did was revolutionary: mixing real life events (including minute details) with a fictionalized story, stunning special effects and elaborate set design. Titanic had a at-the-time unheard-of budget, but became the most financially-successful movie of all time (again, at the time) by managing to cross-over audience demographics in a way no other movie really had. Oh, and then it won a roomful of Academy Awards including for Best Picture and Best Director. And that is why any studio would put up with Cameron spending 10+ years on the production of Avatar, which, while undeniably stunning, probably isn't going to change anything about movie making. Of course, only time will tell.

Happy New Year!

Where are they now: John Hughes film alumni

2009-12-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

In 2007, four Canadian filmmakers set out to find out what happened to 80's teen film auteur John Hughes. The film they made, titled Don't You Forget About Me--released in 2009 soon after Hughes' untimely death--is a love letter to the director filled with interviews from the people he worked with and inspired--Judd Nelson, Howard Deutch, Kelly LeBrock, Roger Ebert, and Kevin Smith to name a few. Sadly, while the young filmmakers who were so inspired by Hughes' films found the man, he declined an interview. I like to think this was simply because he was so far removed from his previous life.

Over the last few days, I've dived back into Hughes' work--a world I wholeheartedly related to as a teenager. Hughes was the guy who introduced me to great dialogue and the idea that characters simply talking could be as exciting as any action sequence. I wasn't particularly surprised to find that his films have aged well and hanging out with the likes of John Bender and Ferris Bueller is like getting together with old friends.

I was shaken by Hughes death last August. Not just because I love his films, but because the man all but disappeared at what could be argued was the height of his career. Over the years he penned a few screenplays using a nom de plume, but nothing really memorable (Drillbit Taylor? Really?). That got me to thinking: what have the actors from his films been up to? Sure I know Emilio Estevez inspired a hockey franchise and Molly Ringwald ran off to France, but beyond that.... So, I did a little research:

Judd Nelson (John Bender, The Breakfast Club): One of the original members of the "Brat Pack", Nelson made a few successful films after his stint in detention including St. Elmo's Fire and the TV flick Billionaire Boys Club. In the early 1990s, in part due to a drug problem, Nelson's career dried up until a three year stint on the Brooke Shields' comedy "Suddenly Susan." Since then Nelson has taken smaller roles on TV and in film including a cameo in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Nelson was recently tapped to voice Rodimus Prime in a revival of the animated Transformers series. Never married, Nelson was once engaged to actress Shannen Doherty.

Anthony Michael Hall (roles in The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science): The geeky character from Hughes' films developed a drinking problem, dropped out of sight for two years in the early 1990s and then reappeared insanely buff as a psycho boyfriend in Edward Scissorhands (BTW: Hall denies he took steroids to achieve his pumped physique). From there, he played Bill Gates in TV's Pirates of Silicon Valley and snagged his own show--"The Dead Zone" based on the novel by Stephen King. The show was a tremendous success, but was cancelled in 2007. Rumors persist that Hall suffers from bipolar disorder and he was recently accused of assaulting his girlfriend (by biting her on the forehead!!!). He can be seen soon on the NBC sitcom "Community" as a former bully.

Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds, The Breakfast Club): Like her co-stars, Sheedy has found post-Club success on the small screen. She has appeared on the shows "C.S.I", "Psych", and "Kyle XY." She even reunited with Hall in an episode of "The Dead Zone." She was treated for an addiction to sleeping pills in the mid-90s soon after the birth of her daughter, Rebecca. She was married to David Lansbury, nephew of actress of Angela Landsbury. The two divorced in 2008.

Ilan Mitchell-Smith (Wyatt Donnelly, Weird Science): Mitchell-Smith stepped away from acting in 1991. His final role was a guest appearance on the TV series "Silk Stalkings." He earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M and is currently an assistant professor of English at California State University, Long Beach.

Kelly LeBrock (Lisa, Weird Science): LeBrock was famous before Hughes with a successful modeling career and as the title role in the Gene Wilder comedy The Woman in Red. She married actor/martial artist/lawman Steven Seagal in 1987, but the two divorced in 1996. LeBrock all but retired from acting after her split from Seagal. Living on a ranch with her three kids in Southern California, LeBrock invests in real estate and reportedly is working on her autobiography.

Bill Paxton (Chet, Weird Science): Arguably, Wyatt's bully of a big brother faired among the best of the Hughes' alumni. Perhaps not as well as Robert Downey Jr. (who played one of the bullies in Weird Science), but having your own top-rated, critically acclaimed show on HBO ("Big Love") isn't half-bad. Oh, and he also starred in Twister, True Lies, Apollo 13, U-571, and Titanic to name a few of his dozens of screen roles. Paxton has two kids with his wife who he married in 1987. He also directed and starred in one of my favorite horror films--Frailty.

Alan Ruck (Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's Day Off): Ruck has worked steadily since his Hughes days with roles in several successful films including Speed and Twister. He spent six seasons on the hit sitcom "Spin City" and has had guest appearances on several shows including "Boston Legal" and "Psych." He can be next seen in the medical drama Extraordinary Measures alongside Harrison Ford. He's on his second marriage (to actress Mireille Enos), has two kids, and is a graduate of the University of Illinois.

Mia Sara (Sloane Peterson, Ferris Bueller's Day Off): After her Day Off, Sara appeared in several TV movies and minor film roles before 1994's Timecop where she played Jean Claude Van Damme's wife. Since then she has worked sporadically including a leading role in the short-lived superhero show "Birds of Prey." She is currently dating Brian Henson, Jim Henson's son.

Jeffrey Jones (Principal Rooney, Ferris Bueller's Day Off): One of those actors most people recognize, but isn't a household name, Jones has appeared in dozens of popular films including The Hunt for Red October, Amadeus, Sleepy Hollow, and Stuart Little. He also has the dubious honor of appearing in a film many consider one of the worst of all time: Howard the Duck (a guilty pleasure of mine). He also has a long TV resume with roles on "Amazing Stories", "Tales from the Crypt", and HBO's "Deadwood." Unfortunately it seems his career has come to an end: his last role was in 2007's Who's Your Caddy. This is likely because of his legal troubles: in 2002 Jones was arrested for hiring a 14-year-old boy to pose for nude photos--a charge to which he plead no contest. He was then sued in civil court for the same crime. Earlier this year his wife filed for divorce.

Gedde Watanabe (Long Duk Dong, Sixteen Candles): First off, Watanabe is American. His accent was created for his Sixteen Candles role much to the surprise of his co-stars and Hughes who thought it was real for the first several weeks of the shoot. Watanabe continues to work in TV, film, and on Broadway. His most recent credits include Forgetting Sarah Marshall and TV's "Everwood." He also voiced the character Ling in the video game Kingdom Hearts II.

Michael Schoeffling (Jake Ryan, Sixteen Candles): Your best bet to get close to Jake these days is to buy some furniture. After appearing in such films as Vision Quest and Mermaids, Schoeffling gave up acting (thus why no recent picture) to handcraft furniture as the owner of his own woodworking shop. He, his former model wife, and their two kids live in Pennsylvania.

Haviland Morris (Caroline Mulford, Sixteen Candles): A handful of movies came after Candles, but Morris' biggest success was on the small screen--"Sex and the City", "Law & Order", and "One Tree Hill." These days, Morris is mostly retired, working in real estate, and performing occasionally in community stage productions. A bit of trivia: Caroline's blonde 'do (which is chopped to shreds in Candles) was a wig. Morris' hair is red.

60 Second Review: District 9 (2009)

2009-12-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Directed by Neil Blomkamp
Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope
Score 8.5 out of 10

Terminator Salvation could learn a thing or two from District 9. The former movie, with a budget of over $200 million, was an unintentionally funny attempt to show the evolution of humanity in the melding of two species that are at war with one another. District 9 does the same, but worlds better and for a fraction of the budget. Special effects are great, but memorable films live and die on great acting and screenwriting. District 9 is certainly memorable.

Shot in part as a faux documentary, District 9 brings first-time director Blomkist's vision of alien refugees landing on Earth and the human reaction to them. Once the film begins 20 years has passed since the alien ship, which is still hovering ominously over Johannesburg, first arrived. The aliens, nicknamed "prawns" for their shrimp like face tentacles, have been forced to live as second-class citizens in a slum known as District 9. When the weapons manufacturer who has taken on the cost of the aliens' "care" (in exchange for trying to figure out how to use their weaponry, which is tied to their DNA) decides to move the creatures away from the city and Wikus Van De Merwe (Copley), the man in charge of the operation, comes in contact with a small canister in District 9, the movie opens up into something that's more interesting and reflective than any other science fiction film in recent memory. A definite must-see.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:54:00.000-08:00

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.

I'm celebrating at the moment by watching Religulous (ironic, I know) while working on my new 23" Samsung HD monitor. Later I'll make dinner (roast turkey, garlic mashed, and steamed green beans...mmmm...) and we'll finally get around to watching District 9.

Cheers,

Nikita

Review: Elf (2003)

2009-12-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart
Score: 9 out of 10

NOTE: This review first appeared on the original BILM website. It's been retouched for reposting.

Dear Santa,

How are you? I hope this letter finds you and Mrs. Claus well and relaxed after your vacation to Vegas.

How are things up in the North Pole? Are the elves still trying to organize? I hope PETA has stopped sending you letters about Rudolph. A 200-watt light bulb never hurt anyone--especially not a reindeer.

Speaking of the team: I loved seeing Donner, Blitzen, and the crew in the movie Elf. Being able to see everyone in action is always such a treat and I think goes a long way to helping the world understand what you do. Dare I say, hiring that PR fir was one of the best moves you've ever made.

Elf is the sweet and endearing story of a human raised by the elves in your workshop. He comes to the North Pole by sneaking into your sack during one of the Christmas Eve stops. Of course, I know this is next to impossible, especially with Mega-Bag with automatic gift tracking technology (TM), but this is Hollywood, which is never about reality.

Anyway, it becomes apparent pretty quickly to the elves that this newest addition, named Buddy, is a bit different. Aside from being three times the size of a normal elf (even though both you and I know the elves of the Ubermaximus species can grow to be as tall as 22 feet), he's less than nimble in the toy-making department.

One day, sometime during Buddy's third decade, his step-father Bob Newhart tells him the truth about his background, which sends him to New York City to try and find his biological father. As you can imagine the exuberance of an elf in any modern city would be cause for concern, especially with their super powers and all, but, I can assure you the only thing Buddy uses against the bitter, cynical residents of New York is his chirpy attitude and a love of maple syrup.

Buddy's dad looks like a mobster, but he's actually a children's book publisher who's so naughty that he produces books without endings. Can you imagine? The monster. Oh yeah--he also steals money from orphans and nuns. Mr. Naughty is hesitant to accept that Buddy is his son, but brings him home where Buddy lights up the lives of his wife and other son. But will Buddy warm the cold, hard embers of Mr. Naughty's heart? Will he convince the world that you really do exist? Will he give the world a Coke and teach them all to sing in prefect harmony? I'm not telling. Santa, you're going to have to rent it (or see one of the many showings on TNT) to find out.

I know you're busy, but you should take some time out this holiday season to spend some time with Elf. The movie is a lot of fun and easily one of the best Christmas films to come along since the original Santa Clause.

Will Ferrell, who plays Buddy, brings an excited charm to the character that makes you fall instantly in love. It would've been easy to play the role too over the top as to be coying, but Ferrell walks that line perfectly and turns in a finely-tuned comedic performance.

Ferrell may be a stand out, but the rest of the cast is wonderful, including Bob, Jame Caan as Mr. Naughty, and Lou Grant (aka Ed Asner) who plays, well, you. Lou absolutely captures your gruff, but caring demeanor.

Another highlight of the film is the set design--namely that of the North Pole. Alive with color, the sets suggest some on-site research. As I know that isn't possible, the idea probably came from those documentaries on Rudolph and Frosty--you know the ones narrated by Burl Ives--shown on TV every year. I'll say it again: hiring that PR firm was one of the best decisions you have ever made. Anyway, the set design is absolutely magical and made me want to unpack my Christmas tree.

Well, Santa I should get going. Have a great holiday season and when you come to my house you can expect the usual--a cold, frosty brew with a few chips and some salsa to clean the palette from all those cookies.

Love always,

Nikita

Hating Jon & Kate. But not the eight.

2009-12-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

Now that Jon and Kate are divorced, no longer have a TV show, and have done enough psychological damage to their eight offspring so they now believe cameras filming your every move is normal, do you think maybe we could all stop talking about them?

I'll start.

Review: Harlan County USA (1976)

2009-12-19T08:52:00.001-08:00

Directed by Barbara Kopple

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Documentaries can often show us in the worst of times, the best of times. They can also remind us of history—whether we’ve come far or are, simply, repeating it.

Harlan County, USA, the 1976 film about the strike of coal miners working in Harlan County, Kentucky is shockingly familiar—the indifference Duke Power shows to its workers and their well-being, the lies they tell to support their case feels a lot like corporate America today.

In 1973, coal miners working at the Brookside Mine endured horrendous conditions. They were paid far below a living wage, the “homes” the company provided were little more than dirt hovels without running water, and a day at work also included the possibility of death—cave-ins and explosions took the lives of hundreds of miners across the country a year. All this, plus the job would probably eventually kill them: the daily inhalation of coal dust often results in coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, better known as black lung.

So the workers went on strike. Along for the bumpy and emotional ride, which would last almost a year and would see the election of a new national union president and the murder of a would-be one, was documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple, who, wisely, forgoes narration letting the workers and their wives tell the story by letting cameras into their homes, meetings, and thoughts. It’s the story provided by the women that’s often the most striking—while the men seem too beat down from years of abuse at the hands of their corporate overlords, the women take control and organize the group. They fight not only for their men and children, but also for a better way of life not just for themselves but for their neighbors and the generations to come.

Eventually, the threat of violence permeates the air: scabs, angry foremen, and other ranks of hired thugs show up at the picket line with baseball bats and guns. You can feel the tension between both sides and the longing from some of the most bitter and angry of the company men (especially one pathetic husk named Basil Collins) to just give them a reason. As the police don’t seem to care much to intervene in what was brewing, I can only guess the cameras pushed off the violence for as long as it did.

Lawrence Jones was shot in the face with a shotgun. His death left a 16-year-old bride and a newborn daughter. His legacy also included a real bargaining session by the union and Duke Power resulting in a contract for the workers. A contract that would last all of three months when the national chapter would “negotiate” away a lot of what Harlan County had fought for especially the thing that was and should be most precious to workers—the right to strike.

Throughout the film it's clear the only advocates the workers have are each other. The union is political and most concerned about cutting deals for the health of the organization. Duke Power—the corporate giant who is at the center of the piece—sees its work force as nothing more than trained monkeys who exist only to make them rich. To be sure, it’s the leaders of these groups who do the most damage—publicly going against their own word, spreading lies about the workers and conditions on job sites (including one dozy about no evidence of black lung being tied to coal dust). The bottom line is while the union drowned in corruption and Duke Power made a profit of 100 percent in 1973, workers received an embarrassing four percent raise—shadowed by a seven percent cost of living increase.

And that leads me to reflect on today: I don’t dispute we’re in a recession—but how can corporate America not bear some responsibility for it? Large companies all over America—Microsoft, anyone playing in the oil game to name a few—post profits and yet still engaged in massive lay-offs. Little attempt was made to reassign these workers. Just a pink slip and a swift kick in the ass as payment for their hard work. As a country, as a system, we have chosen profits over people. The argument of capitalism doesn’t work for me—I think there’s room for both, nay, there has to be room for both because without the worker and their sacrifices, there is no profit. Corporate giants are too blinded by Wall Street (another co-conspirator in our current economic woes to be sure) and analyst expectations (and that’s a distinction to make—it isn’t as if these companies didn’t turn a profit: they just turn less profit than they would have liked) to see the forest through the trees.

And that takes us back to Duke Power. I think the threat of giving a hard-working family man or woman a deadly respiratory disease should be enough for our country to really discuss alternative fuel sources to coal. That aside, consider this: Duke has been cited by the EPA for failure to comply with the Clean Air Act. Duke, who released 80 million pounds of toxins into the air in 2005, said the regulations had been arbitrarily changed over the course of 25 years and there was no way they could or should have to comply. Basically, they used the same defense my nephew makes when he gets a toy taken away: it’s not fair. Apparently if you’re a major corporation this approach works better than it does if you’re a child.

Maybe we need to start treating companies like Duke like the overgrown, spoiled brats they are. Perhaps then they’ll begin to appreciate the people who got them where they are—from the workers who slave away to make better lives for their families to the consumer who has to pay more and more for less and less (except fast food /sigh).

Or maybe we can continue to give government handouts to the companies who least deserve it. Where’s the line for TARP funds for the struggling small business owner who can barely make payroll but is loathe to even let go one of his or her employees? When will our government provide low-cost operating loans to privately owned community companies who will likely have to drop health insurance because the double-digit annual premium raises are becoming far out of economic reach—making them less able to compete for the best workers?

At then end of the day something has to shift. We have to get back to what made this country great economically—hard work and innovation. Maybe it would help if we all had a camera crew.

This is a test. Only a test.

2009-11-18T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm trying out a new format for a site that has been on and off active for 5+ years. This post is a test to, as it were, take things out for a test drive.