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Sunday, September 30, 2007

Fall TV - Hits and Misses


"Why are British people always the most compelling Americans on TV?"

From what I've seen so far:

Hits:
No sophomore slump for Heroes (Thurs 9pm NBC) - the writing is as sharp as ever and it looks like all the favs from season 1 return with even more character development in the works. I've also been charmed by Kevin Smith's Reaper (Tues 9pm CW) (yay for Sock!) and surprisingly wowed by the cleverly edited, zen-inspired cop drama Life (Wed 10pm NBC).

Misses:
Chuck (Mon 8pm NBC) has the potential to be fun but also carries that swarmy spy cliche like a bad tan - fingers crossed that this ends up better than VIP, She Spies, or Dark Angel. Family Guy (Sun 9pm Fox) is also showing signs of age and is playing it too safe, America's Next Top Model is kinda boring and Journeyman (Mon 10pm NBC) is disjointed with badly cast female leads and a ho-hum premise (such a waste of Kevin McKidd!).

Shows I'm still watching: Heroes, Reaper, Life, Family Guy, America's Next Top Model
Shows I'll probably pick up when they premiere: South Park, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, Project Runway
Shows on DVD that I'm watching: Weeds season 2, Extras season 2

Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Office - season 4 spoliers


"If you're good he'll give you a Schrute buck"

The Office (Thursdays at 8pm on NBC) is the gift that keeps on giving. Check out these great hints about season 4 from the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

- Michael holds a pizza delivery boy hostage
- Dwight euthanizes Angela's favorite cat Sprinkles
- Ryan the temp-turned-corporate suit is now basically evil, but still can't shake the clingy Kelly
- Jim and Pam begin their long-awaited courtship in secret (aww)
- Jan, now unemployed, takes over Michael's condo
- Darryl from the warehouse is now a series regular (yay!)

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Opening this weekend - 9/28


"Caution: this film may contain lust"

In the Valley of Elah - Iraq themed movie #1. Charlize Theron and Tommy Lee Jones are the king and queen of intense, but it doesn't guarantee that this is an interesting flick.

The Kingdom - Iraq themed movie #2. Amazing and ambitious casting - Jennifer Garner and Jamie Foxx play the leads - but I still can't figure out what this movie is about.

The Game Plan - The Rock is just too good for these craptastic B-action movies. Someone get him a new agent please...

Notable Limited Releases:

The Darjeeling Limited - Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrian Brody team up for yet another installment of "the world through Wes Anderson's devastatingly indie eyes".

Lust, Caution - An NC-17 rated erotic thriller from Ang Lee, the Chinese director behind Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Fall Season TV !


"Imma gonna eat your BRAINS!"

Fall is fast approaching and basic TV programming is looking better than it has in years. Here's a peek at some of my favorites and some shows with strong potential that I'll be giving a go this season:

Monday:
A lovable geek named Chuck (NBC) gets thrown into a James Bond-like world of espionage, NBC's amazing superhero drama Heroes comes back for an ambitious 2nd season, and Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorenus in Rome) stars in Journeyman (NBC), a time-travel drama that's a mix of Early Edition and Quantum Leap. Way to go Peacock!

Tuesday:
Incredibly dumb girls interact with incredibly awkward guys - Beauty and the Geek (CW) is reality TV gold! Reaper (CW) is more of a universal recommendation, a Kevin Smith-created comedy about a slacker who becomes a bounty hunter for a self-satisfied silver-haired devil.

Wednesday:
America's Next Top Model is a guiltier pleasure than Beauty and The Geek, but I simply can't help it - Tyra Banks is too crazy to miss.

Thursday:
Ugly Betty (ABC) combines all the cattiness of the fashion industry (think Devil Wears Prada) with everything you love/hate about Spanish telenovelas. Tiny Fey's 30 Rock (NBC) is still the most charming thing on TV, and Scrubs (NBC) has my begrudging attention for it's final season.

Sunday:
Family Guy
's (Fox) hold over me can be summarized in five words: Star Wars spoof season premiere.

Don't have time for:
How I Met Your Mother,
Prison Break, Everybody Hates Chris, any CSI, Cane, Bones, House, Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, Kid Nation, Bionic Woman, Life, Kitchen Nightmares, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, My Name is Earl, Smallville, Brothers and Sisters, Viva Laughlin, The Simpsons

Won't bother watching:
Anything on Friday or Saturday night, Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Who?, The Bachelor, The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement, K-Ville, Cavemen, Carpoolers, Boston Legal, NCIS, The Unit, The Biggest Loser, The Singing Bee, Law & Order: SVU, Private Practice, Criminal Minds, Deal or No Deal, Back to You, Til Death, Big Shots, Survivor, Without a Trace, ER, Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Supernatural, Desperate Housewives, American Dad, King of the Hill, Cold Case, Shark

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Will It Blend? - Chuck Norris

Blendtec never ceases to amaze me. LOVE the ending

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Opening this Weekend - 9/21


"I'd call her a definite upgrade from Jessica Simpson"

Good Luck Chuck (Dane Cook, Jessica Alba) - Plot: Jessica Alba acts really hot and Dane Cook reacts in a comedic manner. Okay maybe it's not so simple, but as far as romantic comedies go this one is pretty run-of-the-mill. Real Plot: A seemingly love-cursed guy must find a way to break the spell to get the girl of his dreams.

Limited release noteworthy mentions (title links to trailers):

Eastern Promises - Viggo Mortensen (of Lord of the Rings fame) plays a devastatingly intense Russian mobster in a movie from the makers of A History of Violence. Apparently the bathroom knife fight scene is so impressive many audiences have been clapping at the end of it.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - At what point did Brad Pitt become critics' new darling? In any case, this slow, Bonnie and Clyde-esque dissection of the traditional Western anti-hero is at 92% in rotten tomatoes.

Monday, September 17, 2007

RUMOR: Harry Potter as James Bond?


"Please....no...."

According to a post at JoBlo.com, a new film franchise based on Charlie Higson's Young Bond books is being seriously considered and the filmmakers are courting none other than Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.

I know Radcliffe has been trying to bulk up recently, but SERIOUSLY? You can take the boy out of wizard-nerdlington but you can't take the wizard-nerdlington out of the boy.

Incredible Hulk set photos


"The Incredible Property Damage"

SuperHeroHype.com has released new photos from the set of The Incredible Hulk. This "pretend-Ang-Lee's-version-never-happened re-envisioning of the green giant's franchise stars Edward Norton and Liv Tyler.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Seth Green Says Leave Chris Crocker Alone!

Seth Green, the rising king of sophomoric TV comedy (voice of Chris in Family Guy, creator of Robot Chicken), takes his own stab at Chris Crocker's newly infamous "Leave Britney Alone!" video

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Fight Club Redux


"Guess Who's Back"

From IMDB news today:
"Edward Norton is reuniting with his Fight Club co-star Brad Pitt in new movie State Of Play. The pair starred in the violent 1999 drama - and will share the screen again in the American film adaptation of the BBC miniseries, reports Moviehole.net. Norton will play a U.S. congressman facing an investigation over the death of his mistress - while Pitt plays the journalist who follows the case."

The chemistry between these two is excellent - takes me back to the Paul Newman-Robert Redford pairing years back in movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Can't wait for another round!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Opening this weekend - 9/14


"Billy Bob is such a creepy old man."

My take* on notable movies opening this week:

*this is very much going to be along the lines of how Stephen Colbert "reviews" movies by watching the trailer or just looking at a newspaper ad - lots of truthiness involved

The Brave One (Jodi Foster) - A woman loses a loved one to street crime in New York and promptly resorts to roaming the night and dishing out vigilante justice. Very much about feminine empowerment - think Boondock Saints meets Enough (that Jennifer Lopez dud)

Mr. Woodcock
(Billy Bob Thorton, Seann William Scott) - A guy who was bullied by his sadistic P.E. coach grows up to become a self-help guru, but his peace is shattered when he finds out the P.E. coach is going to marry his Mom. Probably a mix of Meet the Parents, Guess Who and any number of gross-out humor forgettables

Limited release noteworthy mentions (title links to trailers):

The December Boys - Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) plays a teen orphan learning about life in a low-key drama. Oliver Twist meets Cider House Rules?
Great World of Sound - A comedy about two guys who run a talent agency scam - probably plenty of scenes featuring folks who resemble American Idol rejects

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Dragonball Z movie in the works


"Is this really necessary? ::cough:: Intial D movie ::cough cough::"

Rotten Tomatoes recently posted an article that includes confirmation that the long-rumored Dragonball Z live action movie is alive and kicking. The details:

- expected to wrap production by july 2008
- budget of at least $100 million
- distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
- filming in Montreal

All I can say is anime usually doesn't translate into live action very well, and when we're talking about meter-tall blond spiky hair, weapons consisting of giant balls of energy and a green elf-eared alien in a turban, well... it ain't looking pretty.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Shoot Em Up review!


"Excuse me sir but do you have a license for that carrot?"


Just saw Shoot Em Up and was thoroughly IMPRESSED. Who was starring in it? Don't care. What was the movie about? Doesn't matter. If any of the following sounds like something you would pay 10 bucks to see then get to the theater now:

1. a mid-air skydiving shootout
2. a hero who only gets really angry when people act like douches (switching lanes without signaling, making that "ahh" sound after drinking coffee)
3. sex and a gunfight - simultaneously
4. carrots used as deadly weapons

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Coming (Not So) Soon

As I impatiently wait for the weekend to hit, I thought I'd post on some of the more notable films that are comin on down the road...



"George Clooney would have killed for this batsuit."


Exciting films that actually have release dates:

Indiana Jones 4 - (releases 5/2/08, filming now) Who wants three when you can have FOUR? Shia LeBeouf wowed crowds and critics alike in the recent Transformers movie and will hopefully breathe new life into this highly anticipated addition to a legendary franchise.
The Dark Knight - (releases 7/18/08, filming now) Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento) returns to direct the amazing Christian Bale as Batman. The caped crusader battles the Joker in this next installment, and it looks like fan favorites like Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Dent (aka the future Two Face), Lucius Fox and Barbara Gordon (aka the future Batgirl) will be making appearances as well.

Films with unknown production status (Hollywood get your act together! It's like free money):

Halo - Peter Jackson needs to get moving on this and Fox needs to stop playing football with such a great franchise. Current speculation revolves around who will be cast as Master Chief.
Ender's Game - Author Orson Scott Card is currently penning the 3rd draft of the script. This is on a lot of people's lists as one of the greatest and most cinematic sci-fi novels of all time so I hope I'm still alive when this finally comes out.
Sin City 2 - Frank Miller's script is complete, but apparently they're having a hard time getting Robert Rodriguez, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson et. all to commit to working out their schedules to make room for this. 2009 maybe?

Monday, September 3, 2007

Fall Movie Preview!

Seeing as how we're in the middle of the end-of-summer No Man's Zone for new releases, I thought I'd compile a list of fall movies to get the blood pumpin a bit =)

THE GOOD
3:10 to Yuma (9/7/07)- while Christian Bale can do no wrong in my book Russell Crowe can and HAS done plenty wrong. Still, the reviews are great - currently holding at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes
Shoot 'Em Up (9/7/07)- I'm hoping for a Sin City-meets-Hot Shots! mix. But if I don't have a seizure during these high intensity action scenes they've been touting I'm going to be disappointed
Across The Universe (9/14/07) - a bit of a left field pick, but I just love the premise - a Baz Luhrmann-like musical based on Beatles songs and directed by the artist behind Broadway's "The Lion King"
30 Days of Night (10/19/07) - Sam Raimi (director of the Spiderman trilogy) returns to his horror roots with a comic-book adaptation that vows to make vampires the new zombies
The Comebacks (10/26/07) - as a sports genre parody, this runs a good chance of being as bad as Scary Movie or Date Movie. Still, the trailer makes me giggle, and I'm eager to see some favorites (Dodgeball, Remember the Titans, etc) get the spoof treatment.
American Gangster (11/2/07) - Denzel Washington plays your friendly neighborhood drug lord
Beowulf (11/16/07) - I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw the trailer I didn't even notice that the entire thing was computer animated. This stunning retelling of the Beowulf legend includes lots of backstory with Grendel's mother, a Tomb-Raider version of Angelina Jolie

THE BAD
Heavily-marketed movies that I haven't been impressed with so far:
The Brothers Solomon (Will Arnett and Will Forte), The Brave One (Jodie Foster), Good Luck Chuck (Jessica Alba), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Brad Pitt), The Kingdom (Jamie Foxx), Lust, Caution (Ang Lee), The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson), The Heartbreak Kid (Ben Stiller), Michael Clayton (George Clooney), We Own the Night (Joaquin Pheonix), Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn)

THE UGLY
Movies I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. If someone invites you to one of these, politely decline or run away screaming:
Resident Evil: Extinction, The Jane Austen Book Club, Saw IV, Bee Movie, Dr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Enchanted, Hitman, Pathology

more Matt Damon spoofery

If you want the equally fun backstory, click here to see Matt Damon freaking out on Jimmy Kimmel Live and here for Guillermo at the Ocean's Thirteen premiere!

Guillermo - the man the myth the legend

The Bourne Lampoonery

Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel have a long-standing mock-feud that's pretty hilarious - and now that Jimmy Kimmel Live's lovable Guillermo has been added to the mix the gag is irresistible.

Click to play and see Matt Damon and Guillermo fight for the Jason Bourne role.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Here pelican pelican pelican...



The American Gangster trailer oozes mobster style and raises my hopes for a true successor to Scarface. Even if it doesn't end up reaching that level of greatness, who can resist a good glorious-rise-tragic-fall story from the director of Black Hawk Down and Gladiator?

American Gangster releases Nov 2 and stars Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.