Coming Soon!

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2

Sunday, September 30, 2007

What Flipped My Channels...9/23-29/07

This week my pop-culture explorations mostly kept me glued to the tube, but between the various cliff-hanger resolutions and clunky character introductions of the Fall TV season, I was able to stumble on a few items of interest:

Hotel Chevalier (Film/web)
This short film/prequel to the upcoming The Darjeeling Limited is teeming with writer/director Wes Anderson’s unique visual style, musical tastes, and humor. Giving us a brief peek into the life of Jason Schwartzman’s Darjeeling character as he is paid a surprise visit in the title hotel by his estranged girlfriend (Natalie Portman), this twelve-minute appendix has got me more excited for TDL than any of the trailers or pre-release press has been able to do. Hotel Chevalier is available as a free download on iTunes.

Southland Tales Trailer (Film/web)
The follow-up film from Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelley looks like such a train wreck, it will be impossible for me to not go see it if it, in fact, gets any form of wide release. If not, it’s a definite Netflix rental. From the look of this trailer, this post-apocalyptic musical starring The Rock, Justin Timberlake, Bai Ling, and Seann William Scott could be the next Tank Girl. OK, that’s not really a good thing---but sometimes the promise of a flat-out fiasco can be more interesting than a mild success.

Eastern Promises (Film)
Director David Cronenberg must have been aware that the advertising for his last film, the excellent A History of Violence, gave away all of that film’s surprises. The trailer and ads for his follow-up offered up little of the plot and for this I am very grateful. Promises offers many surprises in it’s tale of the Russian mafia in modern day London. Along with Cronenberg’s signature sins and desecrations of the flesh, we’re treating with the best performance of Viggo Mortenson’s career. Working his way up the criminal ladder and getting involved with an in-over-her-head nurse played by Naomi Watts, Mortenson disappears in the body language and speech-patterns of his character-never letting us out of his power for a moment.

TV Series Premieres
Below are the series I decided to check out in order of my preference/eagerness to check out a second episode:

Reaper
Watching this pilot, I was thinking to myself “Damn. I’ve been telling everyone for weeks to watch Chuck and now this show is twice as good and I’m going to be the only one watching it.” Sharing a somewhat similar premise (working class young slacker is imbued with new abilities), Reaper is the funnier and therefore more entertaining of the two shows. A young man discovers that his parents sold his soul to the devil (Ray Wise) and now has to send rogue demons back to Hell (“That’s cool, huh?”) CW currently does not have the Kevin Smith directed pilot for view online, but if that changes—I will post an update. I seriously recommend it. 9/10

Journeyman
I was totally won over by this time-travel series starring Dylan McKidd as a man forced to relive parts of his own life and also solve other people’s problems. Everybody is comparing the series to Quantum Leap and yeah, he travels in time without a machine, but the personal ramifications of this man being unstuck in time are going to be what makes this show ultimately unique. My only hope is that they keep doling out the hints as to the cause of his condition. 8/10

Chuck
The last few television seasons have featured shows (The Nine, Kidnapped) that felt like they were better suited to a mini-series format than an ongoing television program. Thankfully, this season’s premieres more-or-less feel like they have the gas to go on for multiple seasons right out of the gate. Chuck’s slacker-with-a-computer-brain spy-comedy hybrid has the potential to entertain for years. Given that they stop trying so hard---watching the pilot for a second time the jokes felt more strained than I had remembered. Still, I’ll be checking this out for a few weeks at least. 7/10

Bionic Woman
This re-imagining of the 1970s series from Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick shows a lot of promise, even with if the pilot moved too fast-- trying to introduce too much in the first hour. Lead Michelle Ryan seems capable of filling Lindsay Wagner’s shoes and the more Katee Sachoff (as prototype bionic woman Sara Corvis) the series can provide, the better. 7/10

Cane
Well-produced and filled with a great cast, this rich drama about a family-owned rum empire and their long-lasting feud with a rival sugar business will keep me tuned in to see if the show can keep forward story momentum. In America first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women. 7/10

Dirty Sexy Money
This soapy dramedy is not really my cup of tea—the cast is great and the premise (a sort of more-seriousish Arrested Development with Peter Krause’s family lawyer playing the Michael Bluth role) holds promise and lives up to the title—but ABCs brand of nighttime tongue-and-cheek soap operas seem to fail to hold my interest for more than a couple of episodes. I might tune in again and test that theory. 6/10

Moonlight
This vampire drama felt like any other CBS mystery show, just that the protagonist has fangs. It reminded me of SciFi’s recently canceled The Dresden Files in that it had a lot of elements that should have held my interest, but a palpable lack of urgency left me wanting. On the plus side, Alex O’Laughlin is a fine leading man while Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars) and Sophia Myles (Doctor Who’s Girl in the Fireplace) are a fine supporting cast. If the series decides to take some chances, it could be worth watching---but if it continues to be a by-the-book private eye drama (with vampire powers to help solve the mysteries—an element that actually makes the detective work less interesting) it’ll be just another show on the Tiffany Network that I don’t watch. 5/10

Big Shots
Dear God, this show sucked. I decided to watch the pilot, despite bad buzz, because of affection I have toward Alias’ Micheal Vartan and Sport Night’s Joshua Malina and the knowledge that Veronica Mars creator/show runner Rob Thomas was coming on board in a few episodes time. The show’s basic premise is ‘aren’t men cads?’ The characters are unlikable chauvinists (as opposed to the Entourage likeable kind, I guess) and instead of ‘aren’t these guys pathetic?’ we get the feeling that the show is glorifying them, a form or writer’s dream-fulfillment. Maybe it got better after the first ten minutes, but I doubt it. 0/10

Bummer of the week (Well, besides Big Shots):
Grey’s Anatomy (Season 4 Premiere)
Cloying narration. Whine Whine Whine. Speech. Whine. Medical cases that coincidentally mirror the life-struggles of our whiny doctors. Whine. Cloying narration.
I’m bored now and done with the show (though I said that after the season 3 finale).

Did you catch any of the new Fall shows? What did you think? Post in the Comments section.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

What Tripped My Trigger…9/16-22/07

I’m going to attempt something new with my contributions to The Film Lounge. Each week I’ll present a number of film/geek-related items that I enjoyed over the course of the week. It’s a way for me to share whatever I’m getting my kicks from while still being too lazy to write full reviews.

Russell Crowe and Ben Foster in 3:10 to Yuma (Film)
While 3:10 to Yuma is a good film, it wouldn’t be half of what it is without the star presence of Crowe (in full bad-assery mode) and Foster. Crowe exudes the charisma that made his roles in Gladiator and LA Confidential so memorable and propelled him to the A-list, pre-phone bashing. However, Foster still manages to upstage Crowe whenever he’s on the screen proving that he’s a young actor to keep an eye on. To label him something as obvious as ‘The Next Sean Penn’ seems natural, given his similarities in the looks and scenery-chewing ability departments, but it would do Foster a disservice---he’s a true original.

Doctor Who Series 3 (Television)
I feel like I slip more and more into inescapable geekdom everytime I even think the words ‘Doctor Who’, but I can’t deny that the last few episodes aired on the Sci-Fi Channel have been some of the most well-crafted science fiction tales I’ve seen on television. David Tennant continues to cement his place as the best actor to take the role. Note: My Doctor experience consists solely of Tennant, Chris Eccleston, and Paul McGann’s one TV-movie stint, so my opinion in that matter probably isn’t weighted all that much. Nevertheless, he’s fantastic. Let’s hope he and companion Freema Agyemon stick around for a while.

Shoot Em Up
(Film)
The movie is stupid, stupid, stupid. And awesome. As well as hilarious, dirty-minded, exploitive, and over-the-top. If you’re a fan of slapstick and violence (the closest comparison I can come to is Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle) it’s a must-see. If any of these things are a turn-off: bad physics, Paul Giamatti making his Planet of the Apes performance look subtle, using vegetables as weapons, breasts, and using guns for things guns shouldn’t be used for---it’s an avoid-at-all-costs picture. Did I mention how stupid it was? Or how awesome?

New Beowulf Trailer (Film/web)
The new trailer for the upcoming motion-capture animated fantasy film loads up on the action, rock music, and screaming. Watching it in high def may cause your eyes to pop out of their sockets. See it here—It’s #2.

X-Men: First Class Mini-Series (Comic)
Taking place in established Marvel continuity and following Professor Xavier’s original five X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, and Iceman), First Class is a fun read that forms fully-developed characters out of the X-Men that were later overshadowed by the likes of the more brooding and dynamic Wolverine and the lot. It’s an X-book that forgoes the existential angst and whining that often weighs down the other titles. Hopefully, the ongoing series will be able to introduce more of Stan Lee’s original social commentary while maintaining the level of amusement.

Annie Hall (DVD)
There’s not much I can say about this classic film that hasn’t been said better by hundreds of people. While re-watching it again on DVD, I was reminded by how touching the journey is---one feel like they’ve been through the entire relationship themselves by the time the credits roll. By addressing the camera at the beginning of the film, Allen lets the audience know how it’s going to turn out---but we watch with the same optimism mixed with affection and dread that the characters experience. It’s a masterpiece.

Superman-Doomsday (DVD)
A direct-to-DVD animated film that re-tells the famous Death of Superman story, Superman-Doomsday puts Marvel’s attempts at DVD movies to shame. The writing staff of the Batman/Superman/Justice League series created a stand-alone universe for the PG-13 story and that meant an all new voice-cast and character designs. Most of the design work is good, but Superman has unnecessary lines added to the face to prevent him from looking like his previous animated incarnation. He looks craggily and, frankly, less than super. It’s with Superman’s voice casting that the film missteps as well, while Anne Heche does a more than adequate job as Lois Lane and Smallville’s Braniac James Marsters is a great Lex Luthor, Adam Baldwin (an actor I normally love) just doesn’t have the vocal presence to do Superman justice. The story, while not perfect, still manages to make up for these problems and the deviations from the comic are necessary improvements. Fans of Superman should definitely check it out.

Amazon Unbox (Web/Television)
Amazon’s new television download service allows you to get some of the hottest shows sent straight to your TiVo in DVD quality. Since I don’t have a TiVo, my laptop will have to suffice as I watch the available free downloads of Chuck, Journeyman (both really good), Bionic Woman, and Life (yet to watch).

What tripped YOUR trigger this week? Sound off in the comments section.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

H-DoGG's Surprise of 2007: Breach

It's not often that I go into a movie or buy a film completely blind. Most of the time I've gotten a bit of background, watched the trailer and probably read some press. So it is extremely rare that a blind film really knocks my socks off.

Such is the case with Breach. I bought it knowing little more than the name and solely on the indirect recommendation of the The Film Lounge's very own Jacob Rosdail, who very rarely makes a recommendation that doesn't pan out. He spoke. I bought. It impressed!

Breach is a spy movie. However, it isn't Bourne and it certainly isn't Bond. In fact, it isn't even Spy Game. It's based on a true story of very recent history involving the single-most damaging domestic spy ever to infiltrate the United States intelligence community - ex-FBI and Russian spy Robert Hansson.

To tell the details of the story would be to basically teach a history lesson so I forgo that route and tell you why this film impressed me so much. Two things: the performances and the style of the film. First, in my opinion Chris Cooper gave an award-worthy performance in his turn as Robert Hansson. Hansson is a riddle inside of a puzzle and somewhere buried behind his stone-faced exterior and very vocal opinion of the FBI he is a truly strange, lonely and egotistical man whose motives in life were perhaps ultimately unknown. Even though he was caught in the act of espionage, it would be an error to call him stupid and unintelligent; he knew how to play the game, manipulate the system and play both sides without either side knowing the truth. Cooper embodied this all in his portrayal, so well in fact that I found myself both despising him and pitying him (Hansson) at the same time. In short, it was simply one of the most engaging and entertaining performances I have seen in awhile, and I watched The Good Shepherd.

The same was true for Ryan Phillipe who portrayed FBI specialist Eric O'Neill. O'Neill was the man hand-picked to spy on Hansson and the one who ultimately facilitated his capture. An aspiring agent-in-waiting, O'Neill was thrown into the operation not fully understanding what it was he was doing or what the FBI was trying to accomplish. His confusion, conflicted feelings and personal stress were brought to life by Phillipe and made real and believable. His performance matched up well with Cooper's. Ultimately, when it mattered most, Phillipe delivered a solid dramatic turn.

Finally, in what was a strong support role, Laura Linney played O'Neill's superior to whom he directly reported. Her character was a no-nonsense, veteran but tested agent. Her inner struggle was the realization that everything she had spent her career working to accomplish had been systematically undone by Hansson, leaving her and her colleagues to wonder what their work had even been for. If Hansson wasn't caught, the answer would be a disheartening and depressing "nothing". Linney brought a sense of strength to her character but with enough emotion to let you know that she was a real person, not just a another suit. That latter element was crucially important to the story because her ability to help O'Neill stay the course is what allowed him to complete his job in a situation that seemed to him to be far beyond his grasp.

Breach was directed by Billy Ray, the writer and director of 2003's Shattered Glass, also based on a true story. I didn't realize Breach was done by the same director until after the film was over, but I kept thinking of Shattered Glass while watching it. The reason is Ray's distinct style to approaching his films. It boarders on documentary while keeping one foot firmly planted in the realm of dramatic cinema. His ability to capture the most pedestrian details as they actually are in the real world as opposed to a fictional rendition creates an absorbing sense of authenticity. That, coupled with his excellent ability to get the most out of his actors, creates film experiences that are totally unique and completely engrossing. (In Shattered Glass, Peter Sarsgaard gave an amazing supporting performance which garnered him much critical acclaim.)

Ray has only directed two films. I own them both. His work is most definitely quality and too overlooked. So I'll give him the plug here - check out these two films, especially Breach. It was a very pleasant surprise and a happy addition to my library. 9/10

Saturday, September 15, 2007

10ish Films I’m Psyched for in 2007

Reading about the Toronto Film Festival this past week got me psyched to go to the movies. Unfortunately, the Cedar Falls/Waterloo IA isn’t really the best place to catch limited release films (at least for the first month or so) so I ended up going to a couple of films that I wasn’t DYING to see instead.

Yeah, it’s that post-Summer, pre-prestige time of the B-Grade and Middlebrow Film. The stars don’t shine quite as bright, the cuts don’t cut quite as deep, and the CGI isn’t half as expensive.
It’s the time where I begin to look forward to the coming months for films that I am actually PSYCHED (!!!) for:

Juno:
Trailer
If you can watch this trailer and NOT want to see this movie, I pity you.
An indie comedy regarding an unplanned teen pregnancy and the couple who wish to adopt the child, this film features a cast full of 27%ers (actors who make a movie 27% better just by their presence). Counting Jason Bateman, Michael Cera (The 27% rule applies to any of the principal cast of Arrested Development), JK Simmons, Allison Janney, and Ellen Page make this film 135% better than it would be otherwise.

This looks like the film I’ve been wishing Wes Anderson would’ve made his last couple times at bat.

Across The Universe:
Trailer
Looks to be the bastard child of the Fab Four and Moulin Rouge,which may only make the film sound appealing to me. But hell, they used I’ve Just Seen a Face in their marketing, so I’m already a fan sight unseen. I imagine plot is very much a secondary thought when it comes to this, but the visuals will most assuredly make this popular among those who, let’s say, don’t prefer their movie experiences sober.

30 Days of Night:
Trailer
This film could very well suck (pun not intended), but the premise---a group of vampires take over an Alaskan town where a month goes by without sunlight, is a great twist on a genre that seems to have had all the life drained out of it (sorry). And it’s based on a comic book (excuse me, graphic novel), so I’m obligated by geek-cred to go.

No Country For Old Men:
Trailer
The Coen Brothers are back in Fargo/Blood Simple territory for this crime drama that Roger Ebert describes as a perfect film. I haven’t loved a Coen Brothers movie since The Man Who Wasn’t There, so I’m hoping this as much of a slam dunk as it looks to be. The trailer shows Javier Bardem using compressed air as a weapon. I don’t know if that’s from the book it’s based on or a Coen idea, but either way, it’s genius.

There Will Be Blood:
Trailer
Based loosely on Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil!, TWBB casts Daniel Day-Lewis as a turn-of-the-centuty oil prospector at the turn-of-the-century. I don’t really know much more than that other than that it’s directed by the talented Paul Thomas Anderson and…did I mention Daniel Day-Lewis is in it? Daniel Day-Lewis is awesome.

Bee Movie:
Trailer
I’m a Seinfeld fan and the last half of the latest trailer has me cracking up. Hopefully this film, about a bee who sues mankind over honey rights, strikes the right balance of family-friendly and Seinfeld’s observational (darkish) humor.

Sweeney Todd:
Official Site
Tim Burton. Johnny Depp. Musical.

Beowulf:
Trailer
We’re in serious uncanny valley territory in this motion-captured production of the oldest story known to man, but it has the potential to be absolutely groundbreaking. The talent behind the…uh, can it still be called a camera, is encouraging: the experimental director Robert Zemeckis and famed (graphic) novelist turned scriptwriter Neil Gaiman.

American Gangster:
Official Site/Trailer
I saw this trailer in the theater and thought to myself “Now that’s a movie…”

Alien Vs Predator 2: Requiem
Trailer
OK, the first one was kind of awful, but color me optimistic for this R-rated clash of the franchises that maybe…mayyyyybbeeee…might take place, in part, somewhere that’s not Earth (rhymes with Creditor Comb Granite?).

Other Films I’m Looking Forward to: The Mist, I Am Legend, Eastern Promises, Rendition, The Assassination of Jesse James…, Into the Wild, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Darjeeling Limited, Michael Clayton, Sleuth, I’m Not There, Lions for Lambs, Margot at the Wedding, Charlie Wilson’s War, Youth Without Youth

Any of these films have you psyched? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the COMMENTS section…

Thursday, September 13, 2007

1408 is Lackluster Fare

1408 turned out to nothing like what I expected. All the promotions played it up to be a real spooky film and coming from the work of Stephen King, why would you doubt it? I saw no reason going into the theater. By the end, when I awoke, I could think of no good reason why I ever went into the theater! What a borefest!

Starring John Cusak, 1408 focuses on one supposedly haunted room in the upscale Dolphin Hotel, managed by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. Cusak's character Michael Enslin is an author of paranormal phenomenon and man of lost faith, obsessed with debunking the paranormal ever since the death of his young daughter. He travels the country visiting haunted locations in order to rate them, but mostly discredit them. Next on his list is the Dolphin's 1408, a room filled with mystery and naturally off limits to guests.

The hotel manager (Jackson) is aware that Enslin is coming and greets him upon his arrival. After exchanging pleasantries, he does his best to persuade Enslin to stay out of 1408, but ultimately to no avail. We come to find out that a crap ton of people have ended up dead in the room and no one has lasted more than one hour behind its door. Enslin, unconvinced and certainly not spooked manages to get the key and find himself quickly within the walls of the room. Soon enough odd things begin to happen but Enslin remains skeptical, dutifully recording notes into his tape recorder. Eventually things get really crazy and he is genuinely freaked (apparently trapped in the room). His ordeal culminated with an encounter with his dead daughter before he escapes the room. No shock there.

Unlike most horror and suspense films coming out these days, 1408 is an introspective work that attempts to scare the audience by letting their own imaginations do the work. For that I do give it credit, its a commendable effort in an era of flashy movie making. While the movie does its best to create an uneasy ambiance in order to create its spooky moments, I'll be honest and tell you that it came across as nothing more than a bore to me. In fact, I faded in and out of consciousness. Yes, I fell asleep. It simply couldn't hold my interest and it was anything but scary, mostly just a slow paced psychological piece. Even so, at the few points where it tried for the cheap scare, I didn't even flinch. I was able to slumber in relative peace.

When the credits finally rolled I thought that perhaps I was the only one who found it be a complete waste of time, but nearly everyone in the theater complained as they walked out. No sir, I was not alone in my assessment - 1408 pretty much sucked.

Cusak did fine in his role; I had no problems with his performance. However, it was Samual L. Jackson with his limited screen time that was the most fun to watch. You could tell that he enjoyed his supporting role and, wouldn't you know, he delivered the best line of the film. So I guess if you're a huge John Cusak fan or for some reason absolutely must watch every film in Jackson's filmography, then see 1408. Otherwise don't bother. 3/10

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Bourne Series Cements Its Place as Spy Classic

When The Bourne Identity hit theaters in 2002 it was well received as an entertaining and smart action/thriller. Five years and two films later, the Bourne legacy is the new standard for spy films, a domain once owned almost entirely by one man - Bond. James Bond.

Unfortunately it is a virtually impossible task to review and discuss the Bourne films without also discussing the Bond franchise. They represent two very opposite ends of the spy movie spectrum and Bourne seems to gain a lot of praise as a result of people voicing a growing disdain and boredom with the Bond franchise. So let me start there.

A product of the Cold War era, and many would argue prisoner to it as well, Bond has come to embody what people think of when they think spy or spy movie. Almost everyone you know can recite the famous lines ("Martini. Shaken, not stirred.", etc, etc.) can hum the tune of the James Bond theme and have seen the famous Ursula Andress beach scene from Dr. No. He's 007, has a license to kill, drives fast cars and loves beautiful women... all of them. Literally! He kills without remorse, never mouses his hair or creases the suit. He's Bond.

By the late 1990s and early 21st century movie-goers had started to tire somewhat of the predictable, formulaic Bond claiming the whole franchise is a relic of the Cold War era from which it came. The world was different now and they wanted something different. In short, Bond was no longer "smart".

Along comes Jason Bourne, a man without a memory of his past but all the skills to be one of the most lethal men on the planet. He is no James Bond. Suddenly we are presented with a spy who is only concerned with learning his past, regrets/laments his actions when he is forced to kill and falls in love and is totally committed to one woman whom he mourns when she is killed. He is anything but high society and Jason Bourne definitely gets beat up on the job. Not only is Bourne noticeably more "human" in his character, the whole premise of his story is more realistic and believable in its concept and execution. He isn't fighting super villains with outlandish "toys" or sleeping around with every attractive woman he comes across; he is a highly trained agent determined to find himself and bring down the people who have stolen his life. Unlike Bond, his is a personal war. There is one enemy, one ultimate goal and not the episodic villain.

Bourne is grounded in the real world with its pedestrian weapons, no real high-tech gadgets to speak of and situations that are plausible or, at the very least, conceivable. Picking locks, hacking computers or using advanced evasion techniques are the tools employed by Jason Bourne and it creates a realism that you never get in a Bond film. I would agree that the films are better for it because they feel gritty and edgy. It is wholly different, and in this case, different is good and welcome.

Through the Bourne trilogy we get plenty of action, drama and good old fashioned espionage that thrills! The pace is often frantic and break-neck and it serves to keep you the viewer engaged, interested and entertained. Matt Damon is solid leading man and damn fine action hero, if you consider Bourne to be an action hero. Perhaps he is more the victim, but the final chapter of The Bourne Ultimatum certainly leave that open for debate. Without question the Bourne Trilogy has opened the door to a new era of spy films and set a high bar in the process. The spy movie is back with a vengeance and it is good to see that the genre is anything but stale.

Now before I conclude this post, let me back up and address the Bond franchise from a different angle. It might seem that I just slammed the Bond series as a worn out bag of tricks, a hold-over from previous decades. After recent installments such as The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day, I would have agreed. They did nothing for me, which was too bad since I really enjoyed Tomorrow Never Dies and love Goldeneye.

The latest installment of Bond, Casino Royale, however, is amazing! The film definitely recaptured the excitement of Bond and did so through a markedly revamped approach that employed more realism, far fewer fantastical elements and a more human portrayal of Bond with Daniel Craig. It did everything right and hopefully has rejuvenated the franchise. Even so, with all the criticism of Bond films, I defend them for the fact that they have always been pure escapism, whether tied to the Cold War or not. People watch Bond films knowing exactly what they'll get and they eat it up. That isn't to say that the formula hasn't gotten stale over time, but the purpose of a Bond film should never be forgotten.

The Bourne series is the new gold standard for spy films and I loved it from beginning to end. If more films follow this example, I look forward to what the future has to offer, especially if we get more Casino Royales as well. Bourne was a wild ride, it had heart and connected with the 21st century world we live in. If you haven't yet seen these films, do yourself a favor and check them out. If you like spy films, you won't be disappointed.

Bourne Ultimatum - 9/10
The Bourne Series - 9/10

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Harry Potter Still Strong With "Phoenix"

What an anticipated summer of blockbusters it was in 2007 (especially three-quels)! We had Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, Rush Hour 3, Die Hard 4 and Harry Potter 5. *Whew* It took awhile, but I finally saw all of them that I wanted to see ending with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I've never read the books but I've been entertained by the films from the beginning. One aspect of these films continues to pay in spades - the casting. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have turned out to be excellent casts for their respective roles as the franchise progresses. In this latest installment Radcliffe put on a show demonstrating that he could pull off teenage angst in a manner that wasn't simply a cliched bratish and whiny fashion. As a wizard with his back increasingly up against the wall during the ever awkward time of his teen-aged years, Harry Potter holds his own and so does Radcliffe.

For nearly everyone who has read these books, it is seemingly unnecessary to lay out the plot. So let me instead focus on why this installment was entertaining. For me personally, the themes are becoming more interesting. Phoenix was markedly darker overall and I appreciated that and that is credit due for Rowling's writing. The story is now past Malfoy being a bully or the Dursleys being cruel to Harry during summer break and we are headlong into real serious conflict that carries with it real serious consequences. The stakes are raised and that's when I really take interest.

Something is rotten in Denmark, or in this case Hogwarts, and with Delores Umbridge's arrival the school has become a virtual prison. Who doesn't like rebellion in these kinds of circumstances? So when the students we've come to know through four films start to take a stand on a serious issue, its a great story made all the better through superb performances all around, especially Imelda Staunton as Umbridge who I wanted to reach out and sucker punch. She played the role of evil, self-righteous bitch to a T!

The cast is also starting to gain mass as more and more bit players from previous films are starting to take on bigger roles. I know readers complain that not enough time is spent on some character development and I understand their feelings, but for a film of over two hours, I felt it did ok. Cho Chang really didn't get much screen time, nor did Luna Lovegood, but in the case of Chang she really was this film's Lando Calrissian, right? Besides, by this point we all know that Harry will end up with...... anyway. Find out here

Another strong point for this film for me was the higher caliber fighting, especially at the end. The spells were interesting, the action intense and overall engaging. The films (and I'm assuming here the books as well) steadily build up in this regard which is to be expected.

So was it the best yet? I can't say for sure not having gone back and re-watched the others in a long while, but I venture to say it is in my top two. I really did appreciate the more mature feel and darker tone and the acting was top notch. Oh and did I mention that Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is awesome? He's awesome! But that's just who Gary Oldman is and is a topic that deserves its own entry.

This judge finds in favor of Potter. 9/10

H-DoGG is BACK!!! ... Smokin' Aces Sputters

Let me begin by saying that I hope during the drought of '07 most of you have continued to check in now and then on the off chance that Jacob may have provided some TV previews and reviews. My thanks to him for holding the line during my extended absence. I had family from overseas living with me for two months, so I was busy doing many many things with them, as I don't get to see them except every so many years. Needless to say it was a fun two months, but I was eager to get back to the blog.

So here I am once again and I return with the rundown of my most recently viewed: Smokin' Aces.

I remember seeing a ton of online advertisements for this flick last winter; I couldn't go anywhere on the net without seeing some mention of Smokin' Aces. It was apparent then that it was trying to sell itself on the good looks of Alicia Keys and low and behold that's about all it had going for it.

The back of the DVD labels this film an "action comedy". For a "comedy" it was way too serious. For an "action" film it was way too tame and slow. So what does this film have going for it? You may not believe it to be the case, but a surprisingly impressive (perhaps more so because it was a surprise) dramatic performance by none other than Ryan Reynolds of Van Wilder fame. If I had to pick a bright spot of this film, it was him. And it got me thinking that I wouldn't mind seeing him in some other straight roles.

Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia basically phoned their roles in; they were nothing special but were the biggest names in the film. The cover and commercials tout Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman, but they were almost entirely wasted. You need more than five minutes of screen time to warrant a marquee billing in my opinion.

The biggest problems with this film are that it tried to cram way too much in as far as outlandish characters and also that it was a jumbled mess of a film as far as plot. Apparently all you really need to know is that all these assassins are gunning for Buddy "Aces" Israel, a mob wanna-be who is going to turn state witness for a mafia investigation. They are all cooky, quirky and "cool" in some way, but ultimately all the guns and gadgets are for nothing because, aside from one gunfight involving a .50 cal sniper rifle, none of them really get any flashy screen time that's worth a damn. And all of it so you get a twist that really neither shocked nor awed in its Usual Suspects type revelation. The lead up to the big twist is so slow, uninteresting and drawn out that the plot does little more than fizzle at the end.

I had heard good things and I was really hoping to enjoy this movie, but I'd be lying if I said that it did anything for me. It was no Slevin. 4/10

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Pilot Review: K-Ville


The best thing that FOX’s K-Ville (debuting September 17th and streaming now for free at Fox.com) has going for it is its setting. Through the course of the pilot, post-Katrina New Orleans develops as the most interesting character in this buddy-cop show that follows two mismatched NOPD detectives (Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser). Shot on location and employing NO film crews, the production’s good intentions pay back dividends in that the show is given a sense of realism and weight that it wouldn’t have in any other place in the US.

That sense of realism only lasts, however, when the show isn’t in action-mode. A series that would work best as a gritty earth-bound cop show, K-Ville begins to feel phony when the car chases/shoot-outs/explosions feel like something more out of Miami Vice than The Shield.

It’s obvious that FOX wants this to be a companion piece to its action shows Prison Break and 24, but it challenges the integrity of a potentially important program to have the cops behave as Lethal Weapon superheroes as opposed to Hill Street Blues policemen.

The pilot introduces to veteran NOPD officer Marlin Boulet (Anderson) who after going through the nightmare of Katrina is dead set on rebuilding his neighborhood and re-establishing his family in the city he loves. Those who know Anthony Anderson from his performances in such films as Kangaroo Jack and not from his work on The Shield will be surprised to find out that this. guy. can. act. Anderson was the chief reason I decided to check K-Ville out and will be the reason that, despite some reservations I have about the pilot, I’ll be tuning in for at least a couple of weeks.

Boulet is paired with recent NO arrival Trevor Cobb (Hauser), a US marine just returned from Iraq and desperate to earn Boulet‘s trust. It’s obvious from the start that Cobb is hiding some skeletons in his closet and there’s a twist in the end involving Hauser’s character that again stretches the show’s credibility to a dangerous point.

The pilot’s central mystery surrounds a series of shootings at neighborhood fundraisers. It’s a plot that utilizes the unique situation of the citizens of NO (and features cameos from Lost’s Sam Anderson and William Mapother ), but by the episode’s end the viewer will see every beat coming. This is what will make or break K-Ville—a show set in New Orleans, even post-Katrina, runs the risk of turning into the Chief Wiggum P.I. segment from the The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase. If the pilot is any indication, the second episode could very well involve a hovercraft chase through the bayou with Hauser and Anderson using crocodiles as water-skis. Hopefully, the show can stay away from cliché’s and notch up the realism a bit. If so, it could be a keeper.

Though that water-ski scene might be kind of fun to watch.

Additionally-on the subject of those scaly critters, anyone want to put up a guess as to how long the show takes until it uses crocodiles to dispose of a body? I’m going to guess Episode 3.

K-Ville (Pilot): 6/10

Saturday, September 1, 2007

TV's Pride Before the Fall (Season)

It’s no secret that the major television networks have abandoned the Summer months in terms of original programming, offering only competitive reality programs—some of which are guilty pleasures (Big Brother) the others simply guilty (Hell’s Kitchen). However, Summer has become the time when the cable networks, thanks to the lack of real competition, offer up daring original programming that puts some of the big guys’ returning shows to shame.

Here are a few of the stand-out shows that have helped me get through the past few months:

AMC’s Mad Men (Thursdays @ 9 CST) is a dark comedy that rarely has any jokes, but instead utilizes its setting and characters in such natural ways that direct comparison to our own culture is unavoidable (and hilarious.) Set in the early 1960s, the show is named after a group of Madison Avenue advertising executives who drink in their offices, smoke incessantly, make sexist/racist/etc. comments without a second thought and then go home to their (supposedly) perfect lives and wives with dinner waiting for them. Each character holds a secret-or a dozen-and each episode contains a ‘Holy S#!+!” moment where the plot goes in a completely different direction than you’d think. The show is cast with faces both fresh and familiar (Ed’s John Slatterly, Firefly’s Christina Hendricks) and, with the exception of maybe a couple of actors who try too hard to talk like they’re in a movie of the era, superbly acted. Even the commercial breaks of this show are entertaining, as AMC has bumpers between the ads with interesting facts and quotes about advertising (well, interesting to someone who works in advertising, at least.)

With a rather erratic (quality-wise) movie selection, AMC has become something of a joke in recent years, but I’ll forgive them all the airings of Blues Brothers 2000 and Catwoman (two American Movie Classics if there’s ever been one) from now until the end of time as long as they keep this show on the air.

There are dozens of legal dramas on the air at any given time, but it’s the rare one that makes the decision to never set foot in a courtroom. FX’s Damages (Tuesdays @ 9 CST) is a serialized thriller that just happens to be about lawyers. Evil, backstabbing, psychotic lawyers. There are many words one could use to describe Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes, but each episode would have you guessing as to whether they fit anymore with whatever new information you’re given. This is either the sign of a complex character or a show’s writers not really knowing what they’re doing-besides throwing twists at the audience, that is. Either way, I’m hooked. Rose Byrne (Wicker Park) plays a young lawyer who is brought under the wing of Close’s Hewest in a The Devil Wears Prada type of mentorship, that is, if Meryl Streep’s character was a lawyer…and, in fact, Satan.

Okay, Patty Hewes may not be that evil-but she has hidden motives that have their own hidden motives that are secret from the first motives. She’s sneaky and manipulative and a joy to watch. Rounding out the excellent cast is Tate Donovan as Hearst’s loyal underling and Ted Danson as the defendant in the season-long case/mystery. Danson gets to play evil (or is he?) and is so creepy you catch yourself going ‘This guy was Sam Malone?!?!?!’

The show’s twists and turns have kept me guessing to which side I should be on since it debuted a month ago---FX will eventually run a marathon or two and I highly recommend you check it out.

Approaching the end of its fourth season, USA’s The 4400 (Sundays @ 8 CST) has proven to be the third best science fiction show on all of television year-round (for those keeping count in your head, yes I just said its better than Heroes…and I’m sticking with that.) Fans of super-powers, abduction stories, time-travel, and government agents should feel right at home with a program that follows 4400 abductees from various time periods that return all at once in modern day Seattle, complete with newfound abilities. Why were they taken? Why were they sent back? What does the government do with a few thousand super humans?

I don’t want to write too much about the current state the show is in as it’s best to come in at the ground level (and yes, I am more than willing to loan out my DVDs to anyone who wants to get in on the action), but I will say that the program has established a rich mythology that manages to offer large revelations while deepening the original mystery.

The show does have problems-its taken a while for some of the cast members to grow into their roles and the production values often suffer from what must be a relatively small budget. However, the quality of the writing often distracts from these issues.

Again, get caught up so you can join me next Summer!