Chiming In On Hot Fuzz

I wanted to chime in on Hot Fuzz now that I have finally had the opportunity to see it. Burnsie praised this flick up and down and it is certainly well deserved! It was a riot and impressively drew upon many types of humor throughout including physical comedy, parody/homage, the running joke and word play among others. If you liked Shaun of the Dead, be sure to check this out on DVD if you haven't already seen it. Hot Fuzz delivers!

Shrek the Third: More Ogre, Less Funny

Statistically, if you were one of the twelve people in the United States who did not see this film, I'd advise reading this review before you go. For the rest of you, feel free to agree or disagree.

Shrek the Third crept up on me rather unexpectedly, and I think it's because after seeing Shrek 2, I had convinced myself that there would not be another one. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Shrek 2, but I felt that after the film was done we had pretty much seen everything compelling that a smelly green ogre and his animal pals could do. After seeing Shrek the Third, my opinion hasn't changed.

The Third very much wants to be Shrek 2, because much like the middle chapter of the franchise The Third is less of a parody fairy tale as it is a backdrop for jokes about pop-culture. This worked for Shrek 2, as the jokes in that film were genuinely funny, but in the latest film many fall flat. In fact, there are very few times that I recall myself, or anyone else in the theater over the age of 8, laughing out loud. There's a few good ones, but they are simply too infrequently to make the movie any fun.

The film also seemed to lack the genuine "heart" that the first two Shrek films had. Where before I remember hooting and hollering for these characters to disrupt the schemes of Lord Farquaad, or to save the Kingdom of "Far Far Away", this time I watched the scenes unfold before me with passing interest. It's hard to describe exactly why, but I was not invested in these characters at all this time around.

There were far too many missed opportunities for genuine comedy to list here, but the one that sticks out to me was high school sequence. Essentially: Shrek, Donkey, and Puss visit the "fairy tale high-school" to retrieve "Arty" to become the new king of "Far Far Away". It almost felt to me that the writers felt as if fairy tale characters in high school would be inherently funny. Anyone who actually remembers high school, however, could tell you there is never anything inherently funny about it. Some actual jokes would have been good there, and could have been great.

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation in Shrek the Third was showing us where the Shrek franchise is heading (don't kid yourself, there will be a 4th). These films are quickly devolving into pure children's films. And, while it's true the Shrek films have always entertained the little ones, there used to be humor for us adults too. Perhaps the kiddos will be the only ones who truly wind up loving Shrek the Third.

2/10

Raaaaaage again-st the Machine: Bloody Weeks measures up to Predecessor

28 Days Later director Danny Boyle often takes offense to that movie being classified in the zombie category, insisting that it’s really more of an ‘infection’ film. While it fits in that category as well, the fact that said infection is transferred through the fluids of mindless, not-quite-living, scary looking, blood vomiting…well, you get the point. The rage virus is as valid a cause of zombification as space meteors, voodoo, and whatever’s in that blue twisty canister in Resident Evil (sorry, can’t say I cared enough to remember).

All that said, the success of the original 28 Days Later brought about a recent resurgence of the zombie genre and brought into the mainstream the concept of the ‘fast zombie.’ If Days was the 00’s answer to Night of the Living Dead then the sequel, 28 Weeks Later is its Dawn of the Dead—larger in scale and budget with slightly more developed characters, arguably better than its successor.

Taking place an unspecified time *ahem* after the original, 28 Weeks Later presents a quarantined London being slowly repopulated with the assistance of the US military. There hasn’t been a sign of any of the infected for weeks and, with a highly-trained soldier on every other rooftop it must have seemed like a good idea to start rebuilding London society. Why let all those buildings go to waste, right?

There’s a point in almost every zombie movie where it seems like everything’s going to be okay. The characters find themselves a nice place to hide out and start building some stability-be it in a farm house, shopping mall, or military base-and the audience starts to hope that they’ll make it, forgetting that they paid their money to see these people get their faces bitten off. Weeks follows this pattern—and it’s a good thing as there wouldn’t be much of a movie if the rage virus didn’t find its way back into London. Soon the military is trying to control the contagion and it doesn’t care who gets caught in the crossfire. The poor London citizens find themselves running from both the infected and rooftop snipers.

Maintaining the visceral energy while abandoning the stark digital ugliness from the previous installment, the film is filled with well-earned jumps and bloody violence. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo provides two ingenious set pieces worth noting: one involving a night scope, the other reminiscent of Grindhouse. A sequel can rarely match the novelty and voice of an original film, so scenes like those two are necessary for a sequel to create its own identity—and they work smashingly.

The film provides conflicted characters with Robert Carlyle’s (Trainspotting) guilt-ridden father and American soldiers Jeremy Renner (S.W.A.T) and Harold Perrineau (Lost), but as interesting as these characters and their decisions can be, since the film doesn’t focus on one main protagonist, the audience loses their connection with the film and its situations that it had with Cillian Murphy’s character in the original. Also, while it’s a horror film and these kind of things are par for the course, there may be one too many poor decisions made (both by individuals and committees off-camera) that ultimately make matters worse. These kind of stupid character moves are expected and mostly forgotten in most horror fare, but when a film is as smart as this one-they stick out like a bitten-off thumb.

This IS a smart horror film and while the social commentary isn’t as sharp as its predecessor (it’s much more socio-political in nature, actually...gee, I wonder why it’s the AMERICANS trying to control things… *sigh*), 28 Weeks Later makes the argument that there can be such a thing as a horror franchise for grown-ups. Let’s hope we get to see what happens months and years later.

8/10

P.S. Zombie fans are encouraged to check out the trailer to Fido linked here.

It seems to be some combo of Shaun of the Dead and Far From Heaven---I'm there!

Little Miss Sunshine Good, Not Great

Every year sees one film that seems to sweep away the public and win over critic after critic because it is heartwarming, cute and generally a feel good movie. In 2006 that honor went to Little Miss Sunshine, a film that seemed to come out of nowhere and grow into a phenomenon. In the case of Little Miss Sunshine, even the words "Academy Award" found themselves in the same sentence and in this case the film found itself a contender for Best Picture honors and winner of Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin) and Best Original Screenplay. It is the kind of film where an unfavorable comment about it draws puzzled looks and almost immediate interrogation as it is an almost unthinkable thing. How could someone NOT like Little Miss Sunshine?!

Once the dust had begun to settle and the buzz subdue a bit, I finally got around to viewing this film. I went into it with nothing but good things ringing in my ears. Everyone I know who had seen it loved it, so I was looking forward to an enjoyable film. I can honestly say that it was a good film, but for me the level of praise it was receiving was a bit high.

The film centers on a family that is dealing with a whole mess of issues - a father trying to land a book deal (Greg Kinnear), a brother who has recently tried to kill himself (Steve Carrell), an anti-social son whose only wish is to be an Air Force pilot (Paul Dano), a drug-addicted grandfather (Alan Arkin), a mother trying to support the family (Toni Collette) and the young daughter, Olive, whose only ambition is to be a beauty queen (Abigail Breslin).

The strengths of the film comes from the fact that the humor isn't forced and the family could really be any family. Of course, the adventure they end up having is anything but normal. One weekend they finds themselves racing from New Mexico to California in their old VW van in order that Olive might compete in a child beauty pageant. However, the family is normal from the aspect that they feel natural - they nag, gripe, fight and yet still deeply care for and love each other which is revealed through their collective (even if begrudging) effort to help Olive's ambitions be realized. They all have issues and one by one confront them throughout the film. They are also an extremely odd bunch, but I think that is exactly what many people relate to that. We almost all feel like our families are crazy.

The VW bus is an obvious vehicle (no pun intended) for comedy, but the interactions of a stressed-out family confined to a small space for hours on end provided plenty of material all its own. In a day when way too many films rely on forced jokes and stale premise, directors Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris present a story that feels natural and that is probably the single biggest aspect of the film I've heard people mention as the reason they really loved it. I for one liked the film, but I did not find it to be the best thing since sliced bread. I was entertained but never found myself laughing out loud or anything like that. I also didn't find it to be something that I really felt I could relate. That just goes to show how different films and stories connect with different folks and that's perfectly well and good.

Little Miss Sunshine did field an excellent cast! Abigail Breslin stole the show for many receiving extra acclaim for her portrayal of Olive, but Kinnear and Arkin along with the rest of the cast really brought their "A" game. I'm confident that a mediocre cast probably would not have been able to sell this film nearly as well. Nuance is everything in a film like this and they were able to bring exactly what was needed to their characters.

The awkward, yet entertaining ending to this film should provide all the evidence one needs to convince them that child beauty pageants are not a healthy phenomenon and definitely flirt with the obscene. YIKES! The parody of it all scores double-points with me.

I enjoyed this film, but I can easily say not as much as those people I know who have also seen it. They loved it. I only liked it. That said, it is a good, original film with enjoyable characters that I can easily recommend to viewers across the board. If you're looking for a lighter flick to fill your evening or Sunday afternoon, you probably can't go wrong with Little Miss Sunshine. 8/10

The Coca-Cola Kid: The Movie With a Poster of a Guy Drinking Coke While Having Sex

We've all encountered those films that your friends joke about and tell you that "you HAVE to see". Often times these turn out to be long forgotten throw-away films from the 1980s. (Why the 80s turned out so many of these types of films will forever remain a mystery) This is the case with The Coca-Cola Kid, from the director who brought you Montenegro (not surprisingly, also an 80s film that you've never heard of).

I had more than a few friends tell me wild stories about The Coca-Cola Kid, resulting in it taking on almost mythical status. Finally, they showed it to me. It was crazy they told me. I would certainly find out.

The first thing one needs to know is that the star of this picture is none other than Eric Roberts. There is bad acting and then there is the Eric Roberts School of Acting. I’ve seen plenty of poorly delivered lines in my years of watching movies (“Hold me like you did by the lake on Naboo”) and not surprisingly it turns out that the majority of them were in The Coca-Cola Kid. Granted, the cast had very little to work with but damn, it was borderline criminal at times. The most shocking thing to me is the fact that Eric Roberts can actually use the title Academy Award Nominee (Runaway Train (1985)) Ugh.

The second thing one needs to know is that in no way was Coca-Cola actually associated with this film. An opening text crawl made sure to get that point across; it practically trumped the FBI WARNING. I’d say that was a good move on the part of Coke. Even so, the product placement put today’s worst offenders to shame, not surprising given the title of the film.

The plot of this film centers on the work of Becker (Roberts), an American marketing “wiz kid” that Coke sends to their Australian branch office. The film opens with a cryptic fax that precedes Becker’s arrival, directing the office to simply “listen closely to him” even though he may seem strange. Enter Roberts. This guy is not crazy, but his behavior and demeanor is nothing short of bizarre made all the worse by the culture gap between Aussies and American’s, the wholly overlooked or rather MISSED actual point of the film.

We are quickly introduced to a Coke staffer named Terri (Greta Scacchi) who it turns out happens to possess knowledge about a backwoods (or rather Outback) town where Coca-Cola has absolutely no market presence. As it turns out, no one has ever been able to penetrate the locality. Becker becomes obsessed with finding out why and adventure ensues.

Long story short, this small community has a local brand of cola produced by a mysterious and equally quirky American ex-patriot named T George McDowell who just so happens to be Terri’s estranged father. Becker ends up getting a face to face with T. George and a plant tour after almost being killed in an attempt to scare him off. He becomes enamored with the small, simple operation and seeks partnership. Well, sort of. Having fallen in love with Terri (shocker there!) he arranges a deal to partner, but really its just a ploy to get Coke a chance to break into the tiny town. How the story ends, I will not spoil.

This movie has charm in its quirkiness, but it is undeniably strange. In the director’s cut that I got to watch (yes, someone pony-ed up money to make a director’s cut) there was an added shower scene which is literally nothing more than Terri and her 7 year old daughter showering together and having an otherwise normal conversation. How they are allowed to show full frontal child nudity is one question the group I was with had along with why the hell they decided to add the scene in the first place?! No one knows.

There are attempts at humor in this film that I’m sure appeal to someone out there but most of them fell flat with me; we were laughing more at the film than with it. There was dialogue that came across with the grace of a bear trap and was only made worse by Robert and co’s inept acting. The editing, too, raised questions. Stuff would just happen in a very stream of consciousness manner raising questions as to whether David Lynch was an understudy.

The crown jewel of The Coca-Cola Kid is, without a doubt, the very final scene of the film just before the credits roll. Something happens that is seemingly so bizarre that it is in fact the biggest reason I was shown this film. I will defend it as not being entirely crazy, however, because if you *gulp* look at this film with a deeper focus, it does make sense. Still, pleading the case is not worth the effort. I know that it is not.

I have no idea where films like this come from, but as previously stated, the 80s seemed to spontaneously spawn this kind of stuff. This film is quirky enough to make for a great group viewing experience, but I really can’t recommend it for the solitary viewer. That is unless, of course, you are a big fan of Dusan Makavejev’s stuff. Chances are, you’ve never heard of him… or this movie. 4/10

New Rambo IV Preview Online

I'm not a big Rambo enthusiast, but I ran across a a snippet mentioning a 3 minute preview of the next installment in the franchise, John Rambo. All I can say is that it actually doesn't look half bad. I will also say that it certainly doesn't look as though it will hold any punches. DAMN!!!

Watch the preview

A FAN'S APPRECIATION...

It’s been almost a year since Roger Ebert was hospitalized due to complications with a routine surgery. Sadly, these complications prevented Ebert from performing his duties as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and the syndicated Ebert & Roeper at the Movies. Reading Ebert’s reviews were the highlight of my Friday mornings and I can say, without the slightest hint of exaggeration, I have missed his insight and humor almost every week this past year. He has been able to write a handful of reviews over the past couple of months (The Queen being the most notable release), but that doesn’t stop me from wanting his opinion on films both great and dreadful.

Presently incapable of speech, it may be a while before Ebert returns to television. However, this week Ebert has published three new reviews---a positive sign that he’s shifting back into a regular output. His review for Shrek the Third is typical Ebert—sharp, witty, and balanced. It’s a joy to have him back.

SCOOTILLY-FROOTILY-DOO: ROM-COM HOLIDAY IS HOLLYWOOD FORMULA

Sometimes you just have to watch a movie you really have no interest in seeing to make someone you love happy. While I would be a bold-faced liar to say The Holiday was on my list of films that I was dying to see, I would also be lying if I said it was as bad as I feared.

Following two young professional women: film trailer editor Cameron Diaz and editorial writer Kate Winslet (I won’t bother to refer to the actors by their character names as it would be a moot point—they’re playing entirely to type and everything you really need to know about these women can be figured out by who they cast) as they, frustrated with the men in their lives, decide to swap houses/cars/lives for a holiday vacation. Winslet, amazed by fast LA living, befriends an elderly Hollwood writer(Eli Wallach) and heart-broken film composer Jack Black. Diaz, flighty and Cameron Diaz-y, finds herself frustrated with how quaint English life is (They drive on the wrong side of the road!) She also meets Winslet's womanizing brother, a charming Jude Law. The only other thing I need to say about the plot is that it’s a romantic comedy. Connect the dots.

The best way to view The Holiday is as a throwback to the screwball comedies of the forties and fifties. This becomes obvious halfway through the film when they start referencing ad nauseum films like His Girl Friday and the glories of old Hollywood. A subtle film this is not. Through this lens, the film’s far-fetched concept and predictable outcomes are forgivable. As a love letter to old Hollywood, it’s sweet if obvious.

Winslet is the type of actress that glows in any role, more than capable to carry a film like this. Diaz is a love-her-or-hate-her deal breaker, as is Jack Black (yup, he scats in this film, too).
Writer/Director Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, Something's Gotta Give) has made enough films in this genre to know her target audience---most of whom won't give a damn about the often atrocious eye-roll inducing dialogue. I envy them.
Those predisposed to like this kind of film will find little to object to and those (like this reviewer) ready to hate it, will begrudgingly find a handful of things to laugh at-the way Diaz’s film trailer occupation works her way into her life is particularly entertaining---and allows for an always welcome John Krasinski cameo.

Inoffensively predictable but not without its charms, you could do worse than The Holiday when it’s the female’s turn to pick the film of the night.

5/10

FALL TV PREVIEW: CBS CARES...

Due to the recent cancellation of Veronica Mars, this edition of the Fall TV Preview will be extra snarky (I know its not CBS's fault, but they happen to be the closest target right now)...

Awesome! Today CBS announced some early pick-ups, days before the official Fall schedule announcement. As everybody knows, CBS is the one bastion for unique, intelligent genre/serial programming---always willing to support a formula-breaking show for months on end until it finds an audience. Shows like Smith and Threshold simply couldn't exist on any other network.

Here's a peak at the latest batch of future-hits from The Eye:

Laughlin:
A musical mystery, based on the BBC's Viva Blackpool, Laughlin follows a small-time casino owner (Lloyd Owen) who tries to turn small town Laughlin into the next big tourist destination. Murder and melodies ensue. Hugh Jackman is an executive producer and guest-stars in the pilot. The musical nature of the series doesn't worry me as much as the crime element...will CBS support a program with MURDER as a key ingredient?

Moonlight:
Now here's an original premise---Alex O'Loughlin stars as a private investigator who also happens to be a vampire seeking redemption! This seems like something that hack Joss Whedon should have thought up eight years ago. Surely, this forever knight will see weeks and weeks of quality entertainment on the Tiffany network.
My guess is four.

Other dramas include Swingtown, about a bunch of partner-swapping couples in the 1970s and Cane about duelling families in the rum/sugarcane business.

Honestly, I would really like to watch something on CBS (I'm not a procedural guy), so I'm hoping they're willing to take some chances this Fall.

Like rescue Veronica Mars from the CW? :(

Plot Packed Spiderman 3 Lives Up to the Hype

Spider-man 3 is one of the most anticipated movies of 2007 - and with great expectations comes great responsibility... To satisfy the audience that is.

To absolutely no one's surprise, Spiderman 3 broke single day and opening weekend records almost effortlessly, raking in an estimated $151 million in its first three days currently standing with over $240 million domestically just over two weeks into release. In this day and age it has become almost too easy to let the numbers that go with blockbusters do the talking. Sure, Spiderman was going to rake in the benjamins, but would it actually be good?

Going into the movie I'd say that I had fairly high expectations. The previews I had seen and snippets from YouTube all looked impressive and started to build a lot of promise. Of course, in the post-Phantom Menace world "guarded optimism" is the operative attitude when it comes to movies of this type. The hype almost always sets them up to disappoint. Yet, I went into the theatre expecting good things with only a few real concerns, all of which were put to rest.

Spider-man was nothing if not ambitious. Director Sam Raimi had a lot on his plate- Venom, Sandman, Harry Osborne, introduction of Gwen Stacy and her police captain father and the continuing trials and tribulations of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson relationship. Fanboys wanted justice done to all of these elements and even stretched to two and a half hours, it would be a tough task. Let me say that they pulled it off. The movie started with an almost frantic pace as we got bounced around in an attempt to set up everything, so much so that almost nothing got the proper amount of attention. Then, slowly but surely, things calmed down and the story settled in. If it had maintained that break-neck pace throughout, this movie would have been a disaster.

Let me start with the lows. This installment had some moments that were really bad, most notably when escaped convict Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church) is being chased by the police and just happens to literally fall into a science experience which ultimately changes him into the Sandman. It was truly an expose on contrivance. Another problem with the film was that the Stacys (Gwen (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her father, the police Captain (James Cromwell) were seemingly added without much of a purpose. Yes, Spider-man rescues Gwen and she serves to create an element of conflict between Peter and Mary Jane, but mostly she was a throwaway character. The character had no depth and, quite simply, no real purpose.

The movie also had plenty of cheese. Naturally there were spidey jokes and one-liners that rolled an eye or two, but that is expected. Harry Osborne (James Franco) getting hit on the head and suddenly being one step away from a happy-go-lucky, ever-grinning buffoon, all because he loses his short-term memory is not. Harry only proved interesting and worthwhile as a character when he was out to get Peter as “The New Goblin”. During those sequences, I thought it was handled well and the fights were very entertaining.

The dramatic spat between Peter and MJ was so-so, some good, some not so good. It didn’t always hold my interest. However, it wasn’t poorly handled and served the movie well. That said, Peter’s struggles related to this relationship drama were great.

Enter Venom. Every fanboy was drooling with anticipation to see Venom take life on the big screen and I for one thought it was well done. It worked! Peter merges with the symbiont and suddenly becomes the “bad boy” which was also extremely well handled. We see Peter rebelling and lashing out for attention (because his negative emotions are magnified by Venom) and just about all of it felt awkward. Awkward as in Peter Parker remains anything but cool, just the way it needed to be. He became a nerdy emo and that entertained me.

Topher Grace also did a fine job playing opportunistic jerk Eddie Brock. Brock is a freelance photographer in competition with Peter for the open staff photographer job at the Daily Bugle. Long story short Peter led to Brock’s deserved downfall. When Brock became the Venom we all wanted to see, the effects looked great! Of course, the fact that he sought out Sandman to “team up” against Spider-man once again came across as lame.

Effects-wise, the icing on the cake for Spider-man 3 was definitely Sandman. The previews looked promising and the film delivered. His origin sequence was top-notch! However, after some reflection I find the Sandman plot to be a bit weak but at the same time I feel that the writers did a pretty decent job of explaining away a potentially major plot hole, so I don’t feel like it hurt the movie at all.

All in all, Spider-man 3 was able to pull off what it needed to fairly successfully. It found a paced rhythm after some frantic opening scenes and put together a story that worked as the final chapter of a trilogy, if that’s what ends up happening. We got an awesome looking Sandman, satisfying Venom, closure to a few different story lines and some very entertaining fight sequences. It had some weaknesses, but as a whole Spider-man 3 is worth the price of admission and a must see for Spider-man fans. I was entertained. 8/10

FALL TV PREVIEW: SCREW UPFRONTS---NETWORKS ANNOUNCE SHOWS EARLY

While all the networks have yet to make their schedule announcements for the Fall, FOX and ABC followed NBC’s lead and announced which pilots will be going to series. While there isn’t an abundance of genre programming from these two, there are some gems to look forward to.

Pushing Daisies (ABC)

From Wonderfalls creator Brian Fuller comes this equally whimsical series about a man
(Lee Pace, also from Wonderfalls) who can raise the dead and, operating out of his pie shop, uses his ability to scam the grieving. Supposedly, this pick-up was a slam dunk as the pilot was very impressive-funny, dark and moving. Is it just me, or does this sound doomed to cultdom, destined to be one of those shows that was too different for TV.

The Sara Connor Chronicles (FOX)

Taking place between Terminator 2 & 3, this series follows Sara and John Connor (300’s Lena Hedley and Heroes’ Thomas Dekker) as they continue to prevent the robot-apocalypse (though the events of T3 seem to make their mission moot…). Firefly’s Summer Glau co-stars (as a Terminator?). Script reviews have been very positive, so here’s hoping this is as good as we (meaning the nerd community) all want it to be.

A couple of genre shows were picked up having average to poor buzz:

New Amsterdam (FOX)

An immortal searches for the true love that will finally allow him to rest in peace.

Eli Stone (ABC)

A high-powered attorney believes he’s a prophet.

No word yet as to whether Fox is going to pick up the Tricia Helfer starring/David Eick produced Them, but hopefully it is still being considered for, if nothing else, a midseason replacement.

Oh. Cavemen was picked up for series by ABC, causing Jesus and all the little angels in heaven to start uncontrollably sobbing.

FALL TV PREVIEW: NBC’s GENRE GAMBLES…

With the failure of experimental genre shows Surface, Threshold, and my beloved Invasion two seasons ago and an entire graveyard worth of serials (Kidnapped, Vanished, Smith) this season, I was afraid that the networks would be more cautious this year and attempt safer, more standard fare.

While I’m sure this season will not be without its share of lawyers, cops, and doctors, NBC has recently picked up three genre series for the Fall, at least a couple of which can’t be considered “safe.”

What do we have to thank for these shows? Well, there was ONE breakthrough serial/genre hit this year…and Heroes just happened to be on NBC. Expect one of these three shows to be paired with Heroes during its sophomore season:

The Bionic Woman

A re-imagining of the classic 70s show of the same name, this one probably would have caused more eye-rollings than perked ears if it wasn’t for the inovlement of Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick. Early word has this version’s Jamie Sommers ( Brit import Michelle Ryan) more of an everywoman than super-spy who is robotically enhanced after an auto accident.

The supporting cast includes Mae Whittman (Arrested Development) and BSG’s Katee Sackhoff, who will hopefully be pulling double-duty with Eick, staying on both shows.

Journeyman

Pitched as a sci-fi/fantasy/romance, this show has Rome’s Kevin McKidd as a time traveler who alters the past to change people’s lives, but also often causing a ripple effect that drastically changes the future. Suckers for time-travel (yup, that would be me) should be intrigued by this Quantum Leap/A Sound of Thunder sound-alike which is gathering impressive buzz.

Chuck

From The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz comes this spy dramedy (mmmm…shades of first season Alias) about a computer whiz (relative newcomer Zachary Levi) who accidentally downloads the CIA mainframe to his brain. Umm…okay. Firefly’s Adam Baldwin co-stars.

NBC had the strongest development schedule last year (I loved Kidnapped, Studio 60 had great pedigree it could have eventually delivered from, and the excellent Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock will be joining Heroes in returning next year) and--despite its affection for drivel game shows—the network is slowly rebuilding itself.

With network upfronts this coming week, we’ll find out what shows the other networks are developing (*please no Cavemen*please no Cavemen*) as well as the rest of NBC’s slate.

Check into the Lounge later for more commentary on this upcoming Fall TV season.

A Real Cool Hand: Luke a Worthy Classic

Cool Hand Luke is one of those films that’s ingrained itself into the public consciousness to the point where, while not really being able to tell you what its about, most could tell you at least something about it. For example, I knew long before renting it that Paul Newman would eat 50 hard boiled eggs and someone would utter the line “What we got here…is a failure to communicate.”

As much as I knew, the movie might as well had the two taking place in the same scene, someone holding a gun to Newman’s own---forcing eggs down his stomach: “Your hand ain’t so cool now, is it Luke?” Newman doing his best Mr. Belding impression: “Hey, hey, hey…what we got here is a failure to communicate!”

Thankfully, the actual movie is A LOT better than the one in my head. (I’ll try and keep those head-movies to myself from here on out.)

So it goes with classic films, we can know so much about them while not having a single clue to the context. In some cases this can hurt the film when one eventually gets around to seeing it (Gone With The Wind will always be that experience for me), but thankfully Luke has a lot more to offer than a handful of memorable lines and gastrointestinal suspense.

*MINOR SPOILERS

Based on the novel by co-screenwriter Donn Pearce, Cool Hand Luke follows Paul Newman’s Lucas Jackson as he rebels against authority and his peers in a Floridan hard labor prison.

After being driven to behead municipal parking meters by boredom, Paul Newman’s Lucas is sent to a Floridian hard labor prison. Persecuted, at first, by "gang leader" Dragline (George Kennedy in an Academy Award winning role), the rebellious traits that make his a target later lead to Dragline befriending Luke and Luke becoming a hero to the other inmates.

Attaining idolatry by provoking the men into taking some joy in their hard labor and allowing the camp to wager on whether or not he can eat the aforementioned eggs,

Luke never truly embraces the way he is deified in the eyes of his fellow inmates, and actually begins to resent it. Luke is one of the great tragic characters of film history, he found himself in prison because he just couldn't bear the monotony of normal society and he certainly can't conform to the demands of imprisonment. Like most characters that dare to be different, Luke has to suffer for it.

The films two central strengths are Newman---who grabs the eye for every frame he's on screen with his nuanced, subtle performance--- and cinematographer Conrad Hall. Dusty Florida roads and poorly lit prisoner barracks come to life through Hall's camera—the reflection of the prisoners from the Boss's reflective sunglasses is a signature shot of the movie and has been emulated dozens of times since the film's release.

The one minor complaint I can come up with the film is that some of the subtext that compares Luke to a certain historical character seesaws from delicate (Luke's prison number, the way his friends behave around him in the third act) to hammer-to-the-head obvious (the way a photograph is ripped, the final shot, a rather familiar pose Luke strikes after eating the eggs). In many ways these allusions strengthen the film, but in a couple cases I couldn't help but wish they were just a little less overt.

Cool Hand Luke is an easy recommendation for fans of similar-themed anti-establishment imprisonment films The Shawshank Redemption, The Great Escape, or One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest. If a classic is defined by how well it holds up over time, Luke more than qualifies- a film whose story and characters are as unique now as they were forty years ago.

9/10

Hot Fuzz: The Definition of "Fun at the Movies"

Hot Fuzz owes a lot of credit to a lot of films. But in a strange way, it feels like the source material "Fuzz" is borrowing from should be thankul for the spoofing, since "Fuzz" winds up being a better film than any of the movies it's based on.

Hot Fuzz comes to us from the minds of Simon Pegg (who also plays the lead character "Sergeant Nicolas Angel") and Edgar Wright, the same duo who shed new comedic light on the zombie genre with Shawn of the Dead. These guys MUST have watched a ton of movies growing up, because they seem to know EVERY bad action film by heart... and by the time the third act of Hot Fuzz kicks in, you'll know what I mean.

As the film starts, we're treated to a short montage of the lead character's amazing accomplishments and abilities throughout his training in the police academy, and what he's done as an actual cop on the force. Sergeant Nicholas Angel isn't just a cop, he's like the human version of Robocop. He's in top physical form, he has a keen wit, and always gets his man.

The only problem is, he's better at his job than everyone else on the force, including his superiors. This leads his superiors to "promote" him to Sergeant... a promotion that is designed to get rid of him rather than actually reward his accomplishments. His promotion sees him transferred FAR away from the busy streets of London, to a tiny little town called "Sandford."

At first glance, Sandford is an ideal community. In fact, the tiny town has won "village of the year" several years running. Crime is non-existant, there hasn't been an actual murder in the town for over 20 years... exactly the opposite place a "supercop" like Angel wants to be. To make matters worse, the partner that he is teamed up with can best be described as a dim-witted man-child who has seen WAY too many bad cop movies.

Yet, something is not quite right in the village of Sandford. A few of the village folk die in some rather strange "accidents" that just don't quite add up, and every time Angel tries to poke deeper... he's met with resistance from the community at large. Angel must use all of his resources, and a partner who probably never should have been given a badge, to uncover the mysteries of Sandford's dark underbelly, and bring the guilty to justice.

It's hard to know what to call a film like Hot Fuzz. It's obviously a comedy, but contains just as much satisfying mystery and action elements as any film in either of those respective genres. The beauty of Hot Fuzz is that the mystery and the action are just as engaging as the humor... creating a film that is an absolute delight to watch.

I don't want to give too much away about the film's final act... all I will say is that when Angel returns to the village with a stockpile of guns and drop-kicks an elderly woman, you will know with absolute certainty that "it's on." It's been a long time since I remember having a cheesy grin on my face for that long while in a theater.

Hot Fuzz is easy to recommend to anyone with a healthy sense of humor, who loves action, and who genuinely loves movies. 10/10

Speaking of Contributors….

My name is Jacob Rosdail and I will be joining The Film Lounge as a regular contributor. I'm a non-recovering movie/television/comic book/music junkie and I'm very grateful to H-Dogg for allowing me the opportunity to further fuel my problem.

Two quick things to know about me as a reviewer:
*I try and leave my reviews as spoiler-free as possible, to the point where my plot descriptions at times may need to be vague and non-descript. I feel that enjoyment of a film is directly related to how much one knows or doesn't know going in. Any spoilers will be telegraphed beforehand.

*I'm not a hater. If I don't like something, I'm not afraid to say so---BUT I typically don't go out of my way to destroy something (the typical Internet fashion). The Internet has become the worse thing to happen to criticism (well, that and the David Manning fiasco). Anonymity has allowed people to become outright irresponsible bastards and I can't get within 5 clicks of a message board without getting angry at the lack of credibility. It could be only a small fraction of the Internet community, but I'll be damned if it isn't the most vocal.

OK. End of rant.

Once again, thanks to H-Dogg for allowing me to play in his sandbox. Hopefully, others will find my Tonka trucks as amusing as I do.