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

Check this out: The Making of The Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

My new favorite podcast: Hollywood Babble-On

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

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

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

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

Book Review: Naked Heat (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Movie Review: The Town (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Food Break: Turkey Burritos

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

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

Turkey Burritos 

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

• Juice of 1 lime

• Hot sauce, to taste

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

• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onions

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 to 6 tortillas

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

• Lettuce leaves

• 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

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

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Starring The Weather: 5 Great Movies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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






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

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

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

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

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