Fall Movies

Fall is upon us. And with fall comes a new batch of movies that veer away from the summer blockbuster formula. The fall is usually filled with independent quirky films and movies that are vying to for the Oscars, and this year is no exception. What surprises me is that I don’t see any big Christmas films on the horizon; there’s no Harry Potters, or Lord of the Rings, or Narnias. Unless they mean for The Nativity Story to be the big ticket this year. I’ve been looking over reviews and trailers for many of the upcoming films and have narrowed them down to the ten I’m most looking forward to seeing this fall. I’ll put them in order of the release date.

1. This Film is Not Yet Rated (Sept 1)
Through interviews and private investigation, Kirby Dick manages to find out who exactly is behind the supersecretive group that determines if your movie gets an R rating.

2. The Last Kiss (Sept 25)
Zach Braff is in it. I like Zach Braff. I find I can relate to this guy for some reason. The film is written by the Paul Haggis who wrote Crash. I also loved the use of Snow Patrol in the trailer.

3. The Departed (Oct 6)
Just look at this line up: Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in a Martin Scorcsese film. This move couldn’t suck if it tried. Leo and Matt are undercover, Jack is a mob boss. Looks like fun.

4. The Prestige (Oct 20)
Another film where you just have to look at the people involved: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson in a Christopher Nolan film. It’s Wolverine vs. Batman. Actually, it’s two magicians going against each other. It sounds an awful lot like The Illusionist with Edward Norton, but this one has the director of Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins running things. Should be great.

5. Running with Scissors (Oct 27)
Talk about quirky. One look at the trailer and you’ll see what I mean. It reminds me a little of Wes Anderson’s work (Rushmore, Royal Tennenbaums). It looks like a dysfunctional good time.

6. Stranger Than Fiction (Nov 10)
When I saw this trailer, I was shocked to see that is wasn’t written by Charlie Kaufman. Will Ferrell is the only one who hears a narrator describing everything he does. Oh, and the narrator want to kill the character not realizing he’s an actual human being. What a concept.

7. For Your Consideration (Nov 17)
I haven’t seen the trailer, but this one is from Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), so it’s a no-brainer. This time they are taking on Hollywood with an indie film that suddenly gets Oscar buzz. All the regular players are there plus much much more.

8. The Fountain (Nov 22)
This high concept film is directed by Darren Aronofsky who last did the trippy Requiem for a Dream in 2000. This film sees Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz telling the same story concerning the search for the fountain of youth in the time periods of conquistadors, present and the future. Looks whacked.

9. The Good German (Dec 8)
Haven’t seen the trailer yet but it has George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey McGuire in a black and white Steven Soderbergh film. It seems very noir and Third Man-ish. As long as it’s not another Solaris, we should be fine.

10. Apocalypto (Dec 8)
Of course, Disney may delay the film again in light of Mel Gibson’s recent offenses. While the subject matter doesn’t particularly thrill me, I have been impressed with Gibson’s directing in the past (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ). We’ll have to wait and see.

Other films that sparked my interest include: All the King’s Men, The Black Dahlia, School for Scoundrels, Babel, Man of the Year, Déjà vu, Bobby, Casino Royale and The Good Shepherd. It looks like I’ve got a lot of watching to do.

Emmy Awards, Part III

Okay, so some of my predictions were off. It’s hard to bank on the unpredictability of Emmy voters. Remember that these are the same people that didn’t nominate Lost. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised at the numerous awards given 24, My Name is Earl and The Daily Show. I was also happy for Jeremy Piven, Mariska Hargitay, and The Office. I was overjoyed that Amazing Race won again; it is by far the best reality show out there and deserves all four of its wins. Conan O’Brien did a wonderfully awkward job hosting complete with a witty song number that revealed the truth about NBC. It was also nice to see Bob Newhart in the show, even if he was sealed up in an air-tight box. Best moments of the night were Hurley saying they weren’t invited to the Emmys and Stephen Colbert loudly complaining that he lost to Barry Manilow.

I think Jon Stewart (who won instead of Stephen Colbert) and Tony Shalhoub (who won instead of Steve Carell) said it best, “There’s been a terrible mistake.” Both winners were planning on losing gracefully to the breakout successes of these Daily Show alumni. I remember watching these two playfully spar on classic episodes of The Daily Show, and I was impressed with their work this year on The Office and The Colbert Report. Like early SNL gave us many comedic movie stars, The Daily Show is currently enriching the television landscape with top-notch entertainers. This year, we‘ll see Daily’s Corddry brothers move on; Nate will be on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Rob is starring in a mid-season comedy on Fox that is already getting buzz. The Daily Show is apparently the best source for breeding comedic talent, which is why everyone should be staying up late and watching this humourously irreverent show. And then you might as well stay up a bit longer to catch at least the first ten minutes of The Colbert Report. C’mon would I steer you wrong?

By the way, here were the winners:

Lead Actor In A Drama 24 - Kiefer Sutherland (predicted)
Lead Actress In A Drama Law & Order: SVU - Mariska Hargitay (wanted)
Supporting Actor In A Drama The West Wing - Alan Alda
Supporting Actress In A Drama Huff - Blythe Danner (wanted)
Lead Actor In A Comedy Monk - Tony Shalhoub
Lead Actress In A Comedy Old Christine - Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Supporting Actor In A Comedy Entourage - Jeremy Piven (predicted & wanted)
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Will & Grace - Megan Mullally (predicted)
Performance In A Variety Or Music Program Barry Manilow
Writing For A Comedy My Name Is Earl • Pilot
Writing For A Drama The Sopranos • Members Only
Writing For A Variety or Music Program The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Directing For A Comedy My Name Is Earl • Pilot (predicted & wanted)
Directing For A Drama 24 • 7:00 AM - 8:00 (predicted)
Directing For A Variety or Music Program Academy Awards (predicted)
Reality-Competition Program The Amazing Race (predicted & wanted)
Variety or Music Series The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Comedy Series The Office (predicted)
Drama Series 24 (wanted)

Emmy Awards, Part II

Here are my predictions of who I think will win and who I want to win. I usually play to win, but if the one I wanted to win take the trophy, I’ll take the hit on my predictions. I’ve left out the mini-series category because I haven’t seen them and most people could care less. If you’re a betting person though, I’d put my votes into HBO’s Elizabeth I and Showtime’s Into the West. Anyway, here are my predictions:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler / Rescue Me: Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin / Six Feet Under: Peter Krause as Nate Fisher / 24: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
The West Wing: Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet
Will Win: Kiefer Sutherland
Want to Win: Christopher Meloni – It’s about time he got the credit he deserves on this powerful show

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
The Closer: Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson / Commander In Chief: Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson / Six Feet Under: Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher / The West Wing: Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
Will Win: Kyra Sedgwick
Want to Win: Mariska Hargitay - only because I don’t’ watch The Closer

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal: William Shatner as Denny Crane / Huff: Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper / The Sopranos:
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti / 24: Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan / The West Wing:
Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick
Will Win: William Shatner – why stop a trend?
Want to Win: Gregory Itzin – he was the wishy-washy president we loved to hate

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Boston Legal: Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt / Grey’s Anatomy: Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang / Grey’s Anatomy: Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey / Huff: Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt / 24: Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan
Will Win: Sandra Oh
Want to Win: Anyone but Sandra Oh – I just think she’s overrated, don’t ask me why

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry David as Himself / The King Of Queens: Kevin James as Doug Heffernan / Monk: Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk / The Office: Steve Carell as Michael Scott / Two And A Half Men: Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper
Will Win: Steve Carell
Want to Win: Steve Carell – I’m just looking forward to his acceptance speech

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback: Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish/ Malcolm In The Middle: Jane Kaczmarek as Lois / The New Adventures Of Old Christine: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell / Out Of Practice: Stockard Channing as Lydia Barnes / Will & Grace: Debra Messing as Grace
Will Win: Debra Messing
Want to Win: Lisa Kudrow – her Valerie Cherish was just as cringingly funny as Ricky Gervais on BBC’s The Office

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development: Will Arnett as Gob Bluth / Entourage: Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold / Malcolm In The Middle: Bryan Cranston as Hal / Two And A Half Men: Jon Cryer as Alan Harper / Will & Grace: Sean Hayes as Jack
Will Win: Jeremy Piven
Want to Win: Jeremy Piven – he is the reason to watch Entourage.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David / Desperate Housewives: Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite / My Name Is Earl: Jaime Pressly as Joy / Weeds: Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes / Will & Grace: Megan Mullally as Karen
Will Win: Megan Mullally
Want to Win: Jamie Pressly – she is hysterical in My Name is Earl, never has white trash been so funny

Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
Barry Manilow: Music And Passion: Barry Manilow, Performer / The Colbert Report: Stephen Colbert, Host / The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Craig Ferguson, Host / Late Show With David Letterman: David Letterman, Host / The 59th Annual Tony Awards (2005): Hugh Jackman, Host
Will Win: Stephen Colbert
Want to Win: Stephen Colbert – This guy play the pompous pundit to such a hilarious extreme

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • Development Arrested / Entourage • Exodus / Extras • Kate Winslet / My Name Is Earl • Pilot / The Office • Christmas Party
Will Win: The Office
Want to Win: Arrested Development – the series finale was chock full of references to its premiere and the stupidity of the Fox network

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy • It’s the End Of The World, As We Know It (Part 1 & 2) / Grey’s Anatomy • Into You Like A Train / Lost • The 23rd Psalm / Six Feet Under • Everyone’s Waiting / The Sopranos • Members Only
Will Win: Grey’s Anatomy – Into You Like a Train
Want to Win: Six Feet Under – it was a great end to a compelling series, the Lost episode about Eko wasn’t their strongest, in case you’re wondering

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program
The Colbert Report / The Daily Show With Jon Stewart / Late Night With Conan O’Brien / Late Show With David Letterman / Real Time With Bill Maher
Will Win: The Colbert Report
Want to Win: The Colbert Report – this show has trumped Daily Show where Jon Stewart has become a little too passionate

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
The Comeback • Valerie Does Another Classic Leno / Curb Your Enthusiasm • The Christ Nail / Entourage • Oh, Mandy / Entourage • Sundance Kids / My Name Is Earl • Pilot / Weeds • Good S*** Lollipop
Will Win: My Name is Earl
Want to Win: My Name is Earl – although I love the Entourage episodes, the pilot of Earl got me to continue watching the series

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Big Love • Pilot / Lost • Live Together, Die Alone / Six Feet Under • Everyone’s Waiting / The Sopranos • Members Only / The Sopranos • Join The Club / 24 • 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM / The West Wing • Election Day
Will Win: 24 – it was the premiere, need I say more
Want to Win: Lost – they gotta get one award and besides the rocked the finale

Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program
78th Annual Academy Awards / American Idol • Finale / The Colbert Report • Episode #110
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Episode #10140 / Saturday Night Live • Host: Steve Martin
Will Win: Academy Awards – I hate it when award shows get awards but it usually happens
Want to Win: Colbert Report – Ken Burns did a documentary of the show during the show

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race / American Idol / Dancing With The Stars / Project Runway / Survivor
Will Win: Amazing Race – assuming it’s not the family edition, otherwise Dancing with the Stars
Want to Win: Amazing Race – the best reality show hands down.

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report / The Daily Show With Jon Stewart / Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Late Show With David Letterman / Real Time With Bill Maher
Will Win: Colbert Report
Want to Win: Colbert Report – of course, all of the predicted wins could be wishful thinking

Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development / Curb Your Enthusiasm / The Office / Scrubs / Two And A Half Men
Will Win: The Office
Want to Win: Scrubs – I love The Office but Scrubs is still better; but with this single nomination, it doesn’t look at all likely

Outstanding Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy / House / The Sopranos / 24 / The West Wing
Will Win: Grey’s Anatomy
Want to Win: 24 – They did have an awesome season this year despite some unjustified twists

So do you agree with me? What are your predictions?

Emmy Awards, Part I

So the Emmy Awards are coming this Sunday. Now unlike the majority of people in the world, I like award shows. I know that they are just patting themselves on the back but I don’t really care. But it’s not just the awards, it’s the way they present the nominations. Being a video editor, I enjoy how the graphics are used throughout the program. I also like making predictions and seeing how many I can guess right. But I’ll get to that in a later blog. First, I thought I’d address the complaints aimed at the Emmys this year, namely where the hell is Lost.

Well, the Emmys decided to change the voting structure by allowing the ten top nominees to stand and then have those narrowed down by a panel. This is why there are very different people and shows nominated, like 2 ½ Men and The King of Queens, not that they are bad shows, just rarely nominated. Numerous TV critics were hoping this new nomination process would allow the people from Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars to get voted in but to no avail. Now a couple of reasons as to why Lost isn’t represented: the first is that the producers stupidly submitted the second season premiere Man of Science, Man of Faith. Now the opening of this episode was awesome but there is a lot of back story involved and not all the voters have watched Lost as religiously as America. They should have submitted The Other 48 Days which has no back story but is still fascinating. And the possible reason why there are no nominations for the actors, is that with a large talented cast, they kept splitting each other’s votes. I mean if you had to pick one, who would you vote for? I’d probably say Locke, but I’m sure people like Sawyer, Jin, Jack, Sun, Sayid, and Hurley all got votes which essentially cancelled themselves out. As to why Desperate Housewives didn’t get nominated this year is pretty simple. It sucked. The second season was a dismal failure when compared to its stellar first season.

So if I were the one to create the list of nominees for the upcoming Emmys, this is what it would look like. (I’ve followed my list with the actual list so you can see the large discrepancies.)

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Alias Victor Garber as Jack Bristow / House Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House / 24 Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer / The Unit Dennis Haysbert as Jonas Blane / Without a Trace Anthony LaPaglia as Jack Malone
Actual Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler / Rescue Me Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin / Six Feet Under Peter Krause as Nate Fisher / 24 Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer / The West Wing Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Big Love Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb Henrickson / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson / The Unit Regina Taylor as Molly Blane / Veronica Mars Kirsten Bell as Veronica Mars / The West Wing Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg Actual Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
The Closer Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson / Commander In Chief Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson / Six Feet Under Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher / The West Wing Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Alias Kevin Weisman as Marshall J Flinkman / Lost Terry O’Quinn as John Locke / Prison Break Robert Knepper as Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell/ 24 Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan / Veronica Mars Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal William Shatner as Denny Crane / Huff Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper / The Sopranos Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti / 24 Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan / The West Wing Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Alias Amy Acker as Kelly Peyton / Boston Legal Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt / Lost Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon / 24 Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan / Veronica Mars Tina Majorino as Mac
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Boston Legal Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt / Grey’s Anatomy Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang / Grey’s Anatomy Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey / Huff Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt / 24 Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Developmnet Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth / Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David as Himself / My Name is Earl Jason Lee as Earl / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / Scrubs Zach Braff as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian
Actual Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David as Himself / The King Of Queens Kevin James as Doug Heffernan / Monk Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / Two And A Half Men Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish/ Everybody Hates Chris Tichina Arnold as Rochelle Rock / How I Met Your Mother Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin / The New Adventures Of Old Christine Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell / Will & Grace Debra Messing as Grace Adler
Actual Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish/ Malcolm In The Middle Jane Kaczmarek as Lois / The New Adventures Of Old Christine Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell / Out Of Practice Stockard Channing as Lydia Barnes / Will & Grace Debra Messing as Grace Adler

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Will Arnett as Gob Bluth / Entourage Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold / How I Met Your Mother Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson / The Office Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute / Scrubs John C McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Will Arnett as Gob Bluth / Entourage Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold / Malcolm In The Middle Bryan Cranston as Hal / Two And A Half Men Jon Cryer as Alan Harper / Will & Grace Sean Hayes as Jack

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth / Curb Your Enthusiasm Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David / My Name Is Earl Jaime Pressly as Joy / The Office Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly / Will & Grace Megan Mullally as Karen
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David / Desperate Housewives Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite / My Name Is Earl Jaime Pressly as Joy / Weeds Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes / Will & Grace Megan Mullally as Karen

My Picks for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • SOBs – The family tries everything to stay on the air, including 3D, deaths, and guest stars / Entourage • Exodus – Ari goes against the agency an it ends up badly, while Mansy may be cheating on Vince / My Name is Earl • Y2K – The gang think that the world has ended and they are the only survivors / The Office • Christmas Party – A gift exchange gone wrong with an expensive iPod and vodka shots / Scrubs • My Way Home – In an homage to Wizard of Oz, JD just want to go back to his day off from the hospital
Actual Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • Development Arrested / Entourage • Exodus / Extras • Kate Winslet / My Name Is Earl • Pilot / The Office • Christmas Party

My Picks for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Alias • There’s Only One Sydney Bristow – Will returns with a bomb in his head as they try to track down Anna / CSI: • Rashomama – When Nick loses the evidence from a wedding murder, the crew must remember what happened / Lost • Two for the Road – Michael returns, Hurley plans a date and the biggest twist in the last dying seconds / Prison Break • End of the Tunnel – As they plan their ultimate escape, a new pipe causes problems / Veronica Mars • Not Pictured – A great 2nd season finale that includes a twist on the 1st season finale
Actual Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy • It’s the End Of The World, As We Know It (Part 1 & 2) / Grey’s Anatomy • Into You Like A Train / Lost • The 23rd Psalm / Six Feet Under • Everyone’s Waiting / The Sopranos • Members Only

My Picks for Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development / Curb Your Enthusiasm / Entourage/ The Office / Scrubs
Actual Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development / Curb Your Enthusiasm / The Office / Scrubs / Two And A Half Men

My Picks for Outstanding Drama Series
Alias / Lost / Prison Break / 24 / Veronica Mars
Actual Outstanding Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy / House / The Sopranos / 24 / The West Wing

The predictions are coming very soon.

The West Wing: Season One

I hope you’re happy. I just watched the entire first season of The West Wing in 2½ days. And now I have to watch the rest of them. I was planning on easing into a new TV season and now I’m playing catch up on a show that ended last year after seven seasons. I probably should have borrowed the first season at the beginning of the summer so I could be done by fall but I stupidly borrowed it on Saturday and gave it a try. And yes, I enjoyed it. And yes, I was still confused. And yes, I’m not the least bit surprised.

I wasn’t surprised at the quality of show. Like I have said before, I truly respect Aaron Sorkin’s work. I love his movies A Few Good Men and The American President and I adored his short-lived series Sports Night. (And by the way, all those people who have said I should watch The West Wing but haven’t bothered to pick up a copy of Sports Night should stop reading and go and watch Sorkin’s first TV series. C’mon, fair is fair.) I also wasn’t surprised that I couldn’t follow all the political stuff. To be honest, I had to turn on the English subtitles at points just to know what they were saying. I also wasn’t surprised at the acting talents of the cast. Martin Sheen and John Spencer were a given, and watching Bradley Whitford makes me want to see Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip all the more. So that was a bit of a surprise.

Okay, maybe a couple more things surprised me. I was impressed with Rob Lowe and Timothy Busfield. I assumed that Rob Lowe would get a huge role because of his previous feature film work, but was shocked to learn that he was only in communications and even an assistant at that. I never realized how charming and funny he could be. He also did a great job of saying ‘okay’ (which comes up a bit more frequently than the numerous “shut ups” from Toby). I also thoroughly enjoyed watching Timothy Busfield as Danny. He not only was great at giving sanctimonious speeches, but I loved his courtship of CJ. I’m very happy that he, too, will be joining Studio 60 in the fall. The last thing that shocked me was the amazing chemistry between Josh and Donna, which I already know escalates as the series goes on. I mean, you hear critics talk about it, but their repartee is so flirtatious and funny. I now understand what the critics have been going on about.

I only have two complaints for this first season of The West Wing. The first is the terrible casting of Moira Kelly. I am so glad she didn’t continue with the show. Her role was whiny and unnecessary, even if her memo was the catalyst that turned the show around. I just didn’t enjoy watching her on the screen and often wished that CJ would smack her. The other thing I didn’t like was the constant failure of the administration. How did these people get elected? How come they were always the last to know? They were always getting broad sided. It was also this middle of the road stuff that bothered me. That is why my favourite scene in season one is at the end of Let Bartlet be Bartlet. Not only did I love the blown-up argument between Leo and the president that had President Bartlet come to the realization, “This is more important than reelection. I want to speak now.” But I was actually moved by the rest of staff with their declaration, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” That’s what I was waiting to hear from episode one, and am now looking forward to in the upcoming seasons. I want to see their passion, I want to see them take risks, I want to see at least one more episode with Jorja Fox (CSI) who plays Zoey’s bodyguard cuz I think she’s kinda hot. So I gotta get a hold of the second season of West Wing to find out who got shot. I hope you’re happy.

Prison Break

(It took me an hour to get this picture on the site. I wanna shiv someone. Of course, I'd have to make a shiv first. Nevermind.)

The new TV season starts tonight! Well, at least Fox’s jump on the new TV season; most of the new shows will be returning from mid-September to the beginning of October. Tonight, things get started with Prison Break and Vanished. Here are my thoughts: I remember when Prison Break premiered last fall. My big question was, what are you going to do when they break out? It seemed like the creators weren’t thinking long term. There was no way this could be a five-year series. Then midway through the first season, Michael Scofield’s (Wentworth Miller) brilliantly convoluted plan crumbles around him. At that point I was hoping they would keep Scofield in prison for his full sentence while he tries to find different ways of escaping with a group of inmates who now hate him. But the creators of the show wanted them to escape on the season finale and that’s where we are now. The manhunt starts tonight.

So I have some concerns this season. The creators have stated that the Prison Break was only meant to run for two seasons. What if the show is a hit and the Fox network throws a bunch of money at them? Are they going to keep adding seasons and just fly by the seat of their pants? The writers have carefully laid out these two seasons with many twists and turns. (Apparently the Scofield’s full body tattoo comes into play this season as well.) When you start adding seasons, things get a little tricky, especially if you want to keep all your actors.. Look at what happened to 24 in season 2 and 3. The other thing that worries me is that there is so much space to run around now. I’m a big fan of claustrophobic stories. I often like to use Die Hard as an example. Die Hard 1 take place in one building making it nicely restrictive and challenging. Die Hard 2 takes place in a less restrictive airport. Die Hard 3 takes place in the not-at-all restrictive New York City, and even though it’s an entertaining film, it does not have the same impact as the original. In fact, Die Hard became the standard of action films in tight locations. Speed was Die Hard on a Bus! Under Seige was Die Hard on a Boat! Passenger 57 was Die Hard on a Plane! Prison Break was Die Hard in a Prison! Now they’re loose and we’ll have to see what happens.

If you haven’t seen Prison Break before, tonight is probably not the episode for you. I would suggest picking up the first season on DVD and watching that first, then play catch up. I’m surprised at how much I like Prison Break. It always manages to keep me on the edge of my seat, much like the recent seasons of 24. The one thing you have to get past early on is how improbable the whole scenario is. You have to suspend your disbelief. It needs to be suspended like a trapeze artist. I mean there is no way: two brothers would be put in the same jail, that a death row inmate would be put on work detail, that an inmate just writes his own medical needs, and that a full body tattoo that would normally take four years to make only takes him a month. But you have to look past all that. Most people are willing to look past the unrealistic 24. Have you ever seen Jack Bauer eat or go to the bathroom? I don’t care how much adrenaline that guy’s on, he would pass out. That’s why it’s important to remember that it’s just a story.

The other show premiering tonight is Vanished (I already talked about it in my last post). I’ll give it a shot because there’s nothing else on. Who knows, maybe it’ll grab the same momentum as Prison Break did last year. Maybe Fox will cancel it if not enough people watch it’s first episode. Either way, I’m happy the TV season is starting up again, albeit slowly. Let the addiction resume.

The New Fall Shows

With the fall season approaching soon, I have made my picks for the new shows that I’ll give a chance to this year. It’s a carefully devised technique that has served me well over the past few years. First, I look at the premise. Lost’s description of a group of castaways on a mysterious island with revealing back stories had me hooked from day one. Second, I look at the pedigree of actors and creators. If Joss Whedon or JJ Abrams are in charge, I’m there. Third, I look at what the critics are saying. And I have to thank the critics for getting me to watch the Veronica Mars premiere, I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. From there I make my picks and usually allow them to wow me in three episodes. However, if I’m not impressed with the pilot (first episode), I’ll probably drop the show right there and then. They have loads of money and time to make a pilot, so there’s really no excuse. The second episode is usually a throw away because the show runners realize how much work they have to put into an average week. So the third episode is what usually defines the show. If you’ll remember Lost’s third episode was all about Locke. See what I mean? So here are the new shows I’ll be watching.


Well, first and foremost, it's the new show from Aaron Sorkin. For all those West Wing lovers, this should be a no-brainer. They even kept Bradley Whitford. Of course, being a Friends fan, I look forward to seeing Matthew Perry do some serious work. It also has Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards), Steven Weber (Wings) and Nathan Corddry (The Daily Show). It’s a stellar cast. The only problem I see with this show is that viewers will expect a comedy (being centered around a SNL-type show and all), when this show is shooting for a drama. But I guess, we’ll have to see.

This one is from Hank Steinberg, the creator of Without a Trace, so the pedigree is there. The premise of this show intrigues me, nine people are held hostage in a bank for 52 hours and something happened to them but we don’t know what. The nine strangers, including Tim Daly (Wings), Chi McBride (Boston Public) and Scott Wolf (Everwood), now have a special bond as they try to move past this life-changing experience. Premiering after Lost shouldn’t hurt either but it’s not a sure thing as Invasion or Tim Daly's Eyes can attest to.

I love myself a heist show. I was choked when NBC cancelled Heist last season without allowing it to finish its storyline. I highly doubt that CBS would do such a thing with Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) as its star. Smith is one of the many new shows that decided to go with a bland one word title. I think it’s a big mistake, but whatever. A show about high-level crime should be fun and Amy Smart is pretty easy on the eyes as well.

This one has the cool premise of average people who realize that they have super powers. These individuals can fly, manipulate time, control reflections, read minds and control reflections. The cast also looks well put together. It has Greg Grunberg (Alias), Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), Leonard Roberts (Buffy) and Ali Larter (Final Destination). I don’t recognize the guy who created this show, but I’ll still give it a try.

Tina Fey rocks. I’m going to miss her at the SNL Weekend Update desk but I at least I can listen to her crackling wit in this send-up of a SNL-type show. This is the comedy version of Aaron Sorkin’s show. Alec Baldwin looks great in his pompous role and Fey was able to snag both Tracey Morgan and Rachel Dratch from SNL. I looks like all the elements are there. Should be funny.

The rest are shows that I’m a little more hesitant on, mostly due to the fact that I have a sinking suspicion that they’ll be cancelled once I start getting into it. I was interested in the premise behind Reunion last year and luckily bowed out before Fox pulled the plug and left the season-long mystery dangling in mid-air. Fox also yanked Kitchen Confidential before it could even get established. Stupid Fox. Actually, I did pretty well last year with six shows making it to the second season: Prison Break, The Unit, How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, and Supernatural. Anyway, here are the other new shows I’ll take a chance on this fall.


I like Victor Garber (Alias) and Kerr Smith (Dawson’ Creek). I like lawyer shows. I like that they will reveal what really happened after the verdict is read and it’s too late. I like the concept. I hate that it’s on Fox and against Lost. I won’t hold my breath.

This series is made by the guys behind Ed, an great underrated show. It was first called Let’s Rob Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones singer is in the show). Then they changed it to Let’s Rob . . . , in case they got a second season and had to rob someone else. Then they changed it to The Knights of Prosperity. That many changes can’t be good. But again, I love myself a heist show, even if it involves no-name slackers.

With JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias) producing, I’m there. Apparently these six people are complete strangers but will somehow interconnect and change each other’s lives. Sure, ... sounds good. Besides, there’s nothing else to watch on Thursdays at 10pm now that Without a Trace has moved to Sunday.

I like Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under, Clueless) and Delroy Lindo (Gone in 60 Seconds), so I’ll give it a chance. It looks like a knock-off of 24 with a kidnapping instead of a terrorist plot but hopefully I’ll be on the edge of my seat.

This one looks like a knock-off of Kidnapped, except this one involves a senator’s wife. There’s apparently some mystery surrounding the identity of the wife, hopefully Fox won’t cancel it before we find out. Luckily, it’ll get a heard start on Monday with Prison Break.

This show didn’t interest me at first because it looked like a chick show. But then I looked at the impressive castof Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under), Sally Field (Forrest Gump), Ron Rifkin (Alias), Balthazar Getty (Alias) and Patricia Wettig (Alias, Prison Break), with writing from Marti Noxon (Buffy). I guess I’ll give it a try.

And there you go. The new shows. My fingers are tired. I’ll talk more about Prison Break and Vanished before they air this Monday. What new shows are you looking forward to this fall?

Summer TV

So I finally caught up reviewing all the films I’ve seen this summer. Now what? I guess it’s time for some TV. As I’ve mentioned before, I am much more addicted to television than movies, maybe it’s the access, but it probably has to do with longer storylines that make me care more about the characters. I’ve been going through serious television withdrawal this summer. I usually keep track of about thirty shows at any given time but this summer it was down to three. Three shows and only one of them worth my time. I’m trying to avoid reality shows but I got suckered into watching Last Comic Standing and Rockstar:Supernova this year. I don’t even watch the result shows as I could really care less who wins the competition. The one show I cared about this summer was Entourage.

The first season of Entourage was average but last year I found myself worried about the characters on the show. I was actually rooting for Vincent to get the lead role in James Cameron’s Aquaman. For those who don’t know, Entourage centers on new movie star Vincent Chase and his three pals from Queens, kind of like a male Sex in the City. Jeremy Piven (Old School, PCU, Serendipity) is Vince’s agent, Ari, who pretty much steals the show. The show is co-written by Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and features a number of celebrities and slick Hollywood inside jokes. Being only a half-hour long, this is one of the few shows where I am left wanting more when I see the credits roll. Of course, Canada is way behind on showing this series, but you can catch the first season on City TV this fall. Just remember that while things get going in the second season, you’ll want to see it from the beginning.

The other thing I often do during the summer is try to watch some shows I might have missed during my packed viewing schedule. Last year, I watched both seasons of Dead Like Me and found myself enjoying the quick wit and Vanocuver locales. I even found my cousin and a former student in a couple of the episodes. Didn’t see that coming. This year I watched the fifth season of the always enjoyable Curb Your Enthusiasm. That Larry David is amazing. I also watched old CSI episodes (it’s on like five times a day) which was cool because I only started watching the show regularly during Season 4.

So I’m pretty psyched that the fall season is starting soon. Monday, in fact, with the return of Prison Break and the new show Vanished (I’ll talk about them later). So I’m going to take a break from the movies for a little bit and focus on television. In the next blogs, I’ll talk about the new shows, the returning shows and the upcoming Emmy Awards. Hope you don’t mind.

Little Miss Sunshine

I just saw this film a couple of days ago and I still have a smile on my face when I think of the climax of Little Miss Sunshine. This movie was voted the audience favourite at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and deservedly so. The plot is simple: a quirky family goes on a road trip to enter their daughter in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. The travel time in the VW bus is filled with wonderful moments that are both eccentric and relatable. But the big pay-off comes at the beauty pageant where the audience is faced with images that are satirical, hysterical and just plain creepy. This movie is a breath of fresh-air after enduring the heavily hyped summer blockbusters, much like Garden State was couple of years ago. Of course, what makes this movie so enjoyable is the stellar cast.

While Greg Kinnear and Toni Collete have some fine moments as the parents of this dysfunctional family, it’s the rest of the group that add life to the yellow VW bus. Adam Arkin (Grosse Pointe Blank) is wonderfully confrontational as a cocaine-snorting, sex-addicted grandfather; the quintessential dirty old man. Abigail Breslin (Signs) is so innocent and adorable that you’ll be tempted to sigh “Awwww” at numerous points in the film. One of my favourite characters was played by Paul Dano (The Girl Next Door) who has the least amount of dialogue in the film. But that’s because he’s taken a vow of silence. Dano does a pitch-perfect job of playing the teenager who hates his family.

Of course, the big draw for this film is the fantastic Steve Carell. I find it funny that when he made this film, he was one of the least known actors in the cast; he was actually a risk for the studio that initially wanted Bill Murray for the role. But who could blame the studio, The 40 Year Old Virgin hadn’t come out yet and The Office was just a blip on the TV schedule in its first year. Now the ads are filled with shots of Steve Carell in hopes to get a younger crowd interested in this indie film. What worried me when the film started was the person next to me who chuckled every time Carell graced the screen, even though he plays a depressed, suicidal professor in the movie. Luckily, the stranger next to me got into the film and laughed when it was appropriate. Carell does a great job playing a semi-serious role, which shows he can do more than straight-up comedy.

Right now this film is in limited release (I had to go to Tinseltown in Vancouver) but hopefully it will be playing at a theatre near you. I highly recommend this film to all, and while you may question my judgment when the film starts, you will see what I mean by the time the credits roll. After you watch it, let me know what you think, I’d be surprised if you didn’t feel the same joy that the audience at Sundance felt.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Comedians need to surround themselves with creative people. Many of the top comedic stars have long standing relationships with writers or directors who know how to get the best out of them. Jim Carrey likes to be directed by Tom Shadayac (Bruce Almighty, Liar, Liar , Ace Ventura), Mike Myers works well with director Jay Roach (Mystery, Alaska, the Austin Powers series), Adam Sandler enjoys writing with his pal Tim Herlihy (Happy Gilmore, Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds), and Will Ferrell does his best work with co-writer Adam McKay (Anchorman). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is definitely in the same vein as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so if you are ready for some absurd humour, this is the film for you.

Ricky Bobby and Ron Burgundy have similar character arcs, as they both are the best at what they do, then get everything taken away from them just so they can claw their way back to the top. Will Ferrell shines as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver with an equal mix of arrogance and dim-wittedness. What impresses me about Will Ferrell is his commitment to character. With many of his lines improvised, Ferrell is still able to keep Ricky Bobby constant, a skill most likely honed with his work on SNL. I found that while watching the improvisation of The 40 Year Old Virgin, the actors would often betray their characters in order to get the funny line; there was no consistency. While Talladega Nights has some fun roles for Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G, Borat) and Gary Cole (Brady Bunch, Office Space) what surprised me was the humour coming from serious actors like Michael Clarke Duncan (Green Mile, Sin City) and especially John C Reilly (Chicago, The Hours, The Aviator). Unfortunately, as funny as this group of people were, they still didn’t hold a candle to the supporting cast of Anchorman (with Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner). Thankfully, Talladega Nights’ humour is not only derived from its colourful characters.

Talladega does a great job of taking jabs at the south and the obsession with NASCAR. What’s funny is that they make more fun of the advertising associated with the sport, than the racing itself. Fig Newtons are mostly responsible for Ricky Bobby’s demise and Applebee’s gets so much air-time, they even get a commercial inserted into the film. I found this film to be quite entertaining and a scene involving knives made my laugh to the point of tears. You don’t need to be a NASCAR fan to appreciate this movie either (I could care less about racing), you just need to be ready for some off-the-wall humour and some crazy characters. And don’t forget, the film is rated PG, so the only nudity you’ll see is Will Ferrell running around the track in his underwear. And who hasn’t seen that already?

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

A good comedy needs a good premise. And good premises are hard to come by. Just following the misadventures of the unluckiest guy in the world doesn’t cut it. Now a movie like Liar, Liar where Jim Carrey plays a slick lawyer who can’t lie for 24 hours is an interesting and entertaining premise, which is why it’s one of my favourite comedies of all time. Director Ivan Reitman has a great concept with My Super Ex-Girlfriend; an average guy tries to get out of a relationship with a needy superhero, and trouble ensues. And while I loved the concept, I was hoping that the film would be a lot funnier than it was. To look back at his previous efforts, I shouldn’t be too surprised to see this coming from Ivan Reitman. This director started his career off strong with Meatballs, Stripes and Ghostbusters, but that was mostly due to the comic stylings of Bill Murray. He directed Twins, a great concept with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito playing identical twins but it was a little light on the laughs. He reunited this duo for Junior, which had an interesting concept of Arnold being the first pregnant man, but the humour was practically non-existent. To be fair, he did direct Dave, which has Kevin Kline impersonating the president, which I did like but it still doesn’t have the comedic juice of fresh films like Liar, Liar, Bruce Almighty, or Groundhog Day. I guess with My Super Ex-Girlfriend, I expected a bit more than I was given.

Not to say the film wasn’t funny. I did find myself laughing regularly. Although, most of the laughs came from the cliché best friend role played by Rainn Wilson (The Office, Sahara). Luke Wilson and Uma Thurman do a fine job, but nothing really spectacular. Anna Faris is cute and funny, like usual. (Who would have thought this Scary Movie actress would get this popular?) I felt Wanda Sykes was wasted in this film with the very small role of accusing Luke Wilson of sexual harassment. In terms of the concept, I think the film would be a lot better if Luke Wilson’s character did not know Uma Thurman was a superhero until after he broke up with her. They make it seem that way in the trailer but I found it a letdown that he found out about her powers a lot sooner. I would rather he be clueless and then be shocked once she flies out of his apartment. In any case, I think My Super Ex-Girlfriend is okay for a rental, if you’re looking for something light and fluffy on a Saturday night.

Clerks II

Clerks II was made for die hard Kevin Smith fans. If you haven’t seen his previous entries into the patented View Askewnivrse, this is not the movie for you. Even if you have seen all of Smith’s films, this may not be the movie for you. When it comes to Kevin Smith you can expect some brilliant pop culture discussions, near-blasphemous spiritual discussions and some crude sexual position discussions. And mixed in with all the talking are references to his previous films and the common threads of Star Wars and the antics of Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s only film that doesn’t fit into this universe is Jersey Girl. He wrote that film to break away from the usual and ended up getting burned both by critics and fans. So Kevin Smith retreated and went back to basics to write a sequel to the film that started it all, Clerks.

Now part of the appeal of Clerks was the cheap hand-held way it was shot. With no budget, no colour and no stars, Clerks was still able to attract audiences with its colourful characters, snappy dialogue, and sheer offensiveness. Clerks II on the other hand, is no longer hand-held, and it has a budget, colour and stars. It still has the characters, dialogue and offensiveness but we have now grown accustomed to that, so the originality is gone. Clerks II reunites Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson as Dante Hicks and Randal Graves (two actors who have done nothing but Kevin Smith movies) who are forced to move from the convenience store to Mooby’s, the Disney/McDonald’s restaurant that was first introduced in the film Dogma. From behind the counter, discussions concerning racial slurs, abstinence and sexual positions are shared with fellow employees and offended customers. My favourite discussion centers on the true trilogy of Star Wars as opposed to Lord of the Rings. Liking both trilogies, it even made me defensive at times. Some other highlights include a fun dance sequence, a rejuvenated Jay, and some cameos from the View Askewniverse. The lowlight of the movie deals with a donkey and we’ll just leave it at that. The groans and shaking of heads from the audience should be enough of an indication.

Kevin Smith movies are not for the faint of heart. If you want to watch Kevin Smith films, you should watch them in order: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and then Clerks II. What’s weird is that Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back was written as a present for those who had seen his other films, and was written as a concluding chapter for Jay and Silent Bob. I guess after Jersey Girl, Smith realized that he should stick with what he knows best. Maybe he’ll keep writing reunion movies so we can see where his characters have ended up in life. Mallrats II anyone? In any case, only watch Clerks II if you have seen previous Smith efforts and are ready to be offended. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Lady in the Water

Critics can be harsh. They seem to revel in taking another whack at the M. Night Shyamalan piñata for not living up to The Sixth Sense. I bet if Sixth Sense premiered next week, it wouldn’t get the same response it did back in 1999. Why? Because our culture has changed; we have become much more analytical. If audiences knew there was a big twist in Sixth Sense, many would have figured it out earlier on; the cool thing is that most people didn’t see it coming. If anything, The Sixth Sense pushed us to not simply trust the narrative and start looking for clues. Everyone keeps looking for the big twist, because we want to be the one who figures it out first. Just look at Lost. Everyone and their dog are coming up with different theories surrounding the mysterious island, the numbers, the others and the black mist. We should be thanking Night for making us think. And now we rake him across the coals. It’s a shame that Night peaked so early with Sixth Sense. Everyone expects a gigantic twist in every movie he makes as if he was a one trick pony. Lots of people predicted the minor twist in The Village so it didn’t shock them and they hated Night for it. I think the twist was meant to just be cool not to throw your whole perception of the movie out of whack. He’s not going to be able to do that again, just let him tell you a story. The critics are being like children who are mad at being read Little Red Riding Hood because they already predicted that the wolf would dress up as the grandmother to deceive the little girl. (Sorry if I ruined that story, by the way.) Now on with the actual review.

Shyamalan points out early on that Lady in the Water is a fairy tale. That means there are going to be magical monsters and princesses. Night weaves a story that is full of narfs, scrunts, prophets and protectors. Critics already have a problem with the narf but apparently had no qualms about house elves. Some critics even think that Night has lost his mind, apparently they must also think Hans Christian Anderson is a complete nut job. I thought Night wrote an enjoyable story. It wasn’t the best thing I ever heard, but it played out in a quaint fairy tale way. The film is filled with colourful, quirky characters including Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) who only works out with half of his body. The joy I had while watching this film was trying to put together who was responsible for what in the fairy tale; and Night gave enough red herrings to constitute a delicious meal. (If you like herring.) If there were any complaints about the story, I would have to say it’s the pacing, which does drag at times. Luckily, there are some jumpy moments that break up the flowing narrative.

Paul Giamatti perfectly portrays Cleveland Heep, a helpful groundskeeper with a mysterious past. He takes his role seriously and even invokes sympathy with his stuttering. Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America, Shaft, Broken Flowers) and the rest of the apartment residents add their own flavour to this fanciful story. My only problem is with Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village) who Night insists on working with. I don’t find her to be a compelling actor. She shows zero charisma and I don’t really find her all that attractive. Being the daughter of Ron Howard doesn’t necessarily make you a good actor. But despite her, I found the film to be enjoyable. Just make sure that you are ready for a fairy tale and not a giant Sixth Sense twist that will shock and amaze. I would suggest that you rent it and then let me know what you think. I don’t mind defending M. Night Shyamalan as a filmmaker or storyteller; I think he’s earned it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Jerry Bruckheimer knows how to make big films (Top Gun, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor), and amazingly enough this is only his third sequel (Beverly Hills Cop II and Bad Boys II). When producer Bruckheimer makes a sequel, he tries to make sure that it’s longer and more action-packed than the first. Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest fits nicely into Bruckheimer’s winning formula. When the first film came out, I tried hard to resist the hoopla. I just figured a movie based on a Disneyland ride was the stupidest thing I ever heard (and was right when you take into account The Country Bears and The Haunted Mansion). But with all the hype, I grudging sat in the crappy Westbank theatre and was instantly turned around when I first saw Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow walk off his sinking ship straight onto the dock. What a wonderful entrance! And from that point on, I was hooked. So now that expectations were heightened, how would the first of two sequels play out?

My only big complaint about Dead Man’s Chest is the length of the movie. Now granted, the film is only seven minutes longer than the first movie, but this time it actually shows. There is one long scene on a cannibal island that, while funny and entertaining, does not add any substance to the story whatsoever. (It kind of reminds of the running of the dinosaurs in the overly-long King Kong.) My other small beef is about how we see too much of Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner this time around; but I hear he wouldn’t come back to do the sequel if they didn’t give him more swashbuckling time. Some say the story suffers because you have to wait until the third film before things are resolved. Ya, that’s what happens in trilogies. Are you telling me that people hated Empire Strikes Back because they didn’t resolve the freezing of Han Solo until Return of the Jedi? Gimmie a break! More viewers should get over this instant gratification kick and just wait for the next movie. It’s called anticipation people!

I never really find Bruckheimer movies all that deep, but they sure are entertaining. Johnny Depp, of course, is the main reason to watch this film. He gets another fine entrance, an enjoyable hat shopping spree and a perfectly comic scene involving a spit and fruit. Just watching Jack Sparrow, sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow running down a beach is hysterical. One of my favourite scenes in the film is an unbelievable but inventive three-way sword fight that starts on the beach and end in a wheel. Pirates is currently the seventh highest grossing film of all time having just beat Revenge of the Sith. Why not plunk down your money and help it achieve its goal of getting higher and beating Spiderman and Shrek. This film is meant to be seen in a big theatre. Not only for the action but also for its rich, triumphant score. C’mon, you know you want to. Savvy?

Superman Returns

This is the movie I was waiting for. Every year there is a summer blockbuster that I eagerly anticipate and this year it was Superman Returns. And with Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey together again (they worked together on The Ususal Suspects, one of my favourite films ever), how could this movie go wrong? I’ll admit that my expectations were pretty high for this film after hearing about it in the production stage for 10 years. And to my relief, Superman Returns did not disappoint. This movie rocked!

The casting was pitch-perfect in my opinion. I’m glad they got newcomer Brandon Routh to wear the Superman tights. I think a recognizable face would change our opinion of him, especially if he got in trouble with the media. Routh played both Superman and Clark Kent equally well, even channeling Christopher Reeve at times. Kate Bosworth did a fine job of Lois Lane, although she seemed a tad young (which is necessary for the inevitable sequels). And let’s face it, she is way hotter than Margot Kidder ever was. And what can I say about Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. He was fantastic! It was a perfect blend of humour, anger and smugness. I heard Roger Ebert say that Spacey couldn’t hold a candle to Gene Hackman’s Lex. Maybe it was his pain killers talking, but Hackman played Lex Luthor as a used car salesman in his stupid jackets and fake hair. Spacey was a treat to watch. But, I guess that will always be the fate of these types of movies, that never-ending comparison to the ones that preceded it. Just look at James Bond.

In supporting roles, Parker Posey is given a slew of great one-liners and Sean Huntington as Jimmy Olsen gives some great reactions to the drama happening all around him. I did feel bad for two characters in this film. The first is the very funny Kal Penn (Kumar from White Castle) who is pretty much mute in this movie. The second is James Marsters, who is again relegated to faithful boyfriend who is kicked aside so his girl and the hero can get together. First in X-Men, now in Superman, this guy is going to get a complex.

I loved the story of Superman Returns. It’s tough to tell a hero story without going heavily into the mythology. The writers do offer glimpses of Clark Kent’s past but the focus is on the present. As it should be. It’s more interesting trying to see Superman cope with the loss of Lois Lane and dealing with her precocious kid. I didn’t even mind the kid’s storyline as I can see it getting carried over to the next sequel. Some say Lex’s evil plan is unbelievable and stupid. I say it’s a comic book, so get over it.

The visual effects were stunning. Superman’s rescue of the airplane alone is worth the money to go see this film. My only warning is to avoid seeing this film in 3D. The handful of 3D action scenes almost ruined my first viewing of this movie. It definitely does not add to the movie in any way. I saw the film again on the regular big screen and was even more amazed at the scenes no longer in 3D. This is a must see movie. See this larger than life film on the big screen if you can. Superman Returns may not be the best film of the year, but it’s definitely in my top five.

Click

Adam Sandler films have always been hot or cold for me. I loved his characters in films like Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy and his serious film Punch Drunk Love. But then, he also delivers some terrible one-note characters that I find grating almost instantly in films like The Waterboy and Little Nicky. However, since the bland Longest Yard, Adam Sandler has been trying to get away from sketch character personas and has been trying to do legitimate acting. He either needs to work a bit harder or find some better scripts. At first, I thought the concept of Click was interesting. A man is able to alter his life using a truly universal remote control. I thought is had potential; I thought wrong.

Click starts off with the same problem of The Break-Up with Vince Vaugn & Jennifer Aniston, we don’t get to see how happy things used to be. Sandler plays Michael Newman, a jerk who snaps at his wife, his kids and his parents because he is working so hard to provide the dream life for his family. When Michael is overwhelmed he turns to Christopher Walken who provides his with a remote control that can change his life. Michael foolishly skips over major milestones as the movie turns into It’s a Wonderful Fast-Forwarded Life. The problem is that I don’t care one lick about Sandler because he started off as a jerk and is still pursuing selfish goals. At least Jimmy Stewart is seen as a sympathetic character who tries to do the right things but ends up failing.

The biggest problem in this movie is the stupid rule that Michael is not able to rewind back to the moments he skipped over. What kind of shitty remote control can’t rewind? It’s frustrating when a good idea is squandered with stupid rules like this to keep the story going. Even though the majority of this film is bland it does have some highlights with some of the remote control functions and the ever-creepy Christopher Walken. Oh, and Kate Beckinsale is hot. But not hot enough to make me watch this movie again. Feel free to rent it if you’re bored and you can have your own fun fast-forwarding just like Sandler.

Nacho Libre

I don’t think Jack Black can carry a movie. The one exception would be School of Rock but I think the kids are what made the movie so enjoyable. I think Jack Black is perfect in supporting roles; I’m thinking of films like Saving Silverman and Orange County. In those films, his manic personality is enjoyable in small spurts of lunacy. In films like Shallow Hal and Nacho Libre, his characters have to sustain themselves for a lot longer and therefore lose their steam pretty early on. I didn’t know what to expect from Nacho Libre. It was directed by Jared Hess, who helmed the catch-phrase heavy Napoleon Dynamite. I was expecting something quirky and ended up bored. I guess Jack Black and Jared Hess think Mexican wrestling is hilarious. I didn’t even find myself chuckling when it came to the actual fights. Not to say I didn’t laugh during the film, I think I laughed out loud about four or five times. But then again, most of the funny stuff was in the commercials. Maybe I’m too old for this type of humour. I recall that while enjoying Napoleon Dynamite, there were some times when I found myself cringing over laughing, especially when it came to Kip. When it comes to Napoleon, I think we all know of individuals who are like these sad people presented on the screen. In Nacho Libre, I couldn’t find one person who is at all relatable. So, for these reasons, I would say don’t bother with Nacho Libre. The 100 minute running time is too long for these mediocre pseudo-jokes. This film should have been made into a Saturday Night Live sketch, then it would be entertaining and possible even funny.

Cars

I don’t know why I often find myself doubting Pixar’s ability to make a great film. They have never put out a sub-par film. They have never steered away from clever writing. They have never let me down. Yet, every time I see a trailer for their next film, I get nervous thinking that this may be the film that breaks Pixar’s perfect record. They started off strong with Toy Story (my favourite), A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc. (my least favourite but still better than most animation). The Toy Story sequel raised eyebrows but was also fantastically done. When I first saw ads for Finding Nemo, I thought it looked boring. Who cares about a bunch of fish? Apparently, a lot of people; including me (it’s now my third favourite Pixar film.) Then there were ads for The Incredibles. I thought Pixar excelled at giving life to inanimate objects but to use humans? With an overload of superhero cleverness by Brad Bird, the film turned out to be my second favourite Pixar film. Go figure. So with Cars, I was nervous again and again Pixar did not let me down. Another great film. It doesn’t quite enter my top 3, but it is still highly enjoyable.

I can’t quite put my finger on what makes Cars so special. This time, it’s the voices of the supporting cast that overshadows the main characters of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and Paul Newman. Larry the Cable Guy who gives voice to the rusted tow truck Mater, pretty much steals the show. Tony Shalhoub (Monk, Wings), Cheech Marin, and George Carlin all add some of their eccentric characteristics to their animated counterparts. And it’s always great to see Pixar loyalty with John Ratzenberger (Cheers, Toy Story) lending his voice yet again. He’s been in every Pixar film and they even give a salute to John by showcasing his talents during the credits. As some of you know, I am a big fan of cleverness. And maybe that’s why I am in love with Pixar films. Cars has many moments of cleverness. For example, the insects buzzing around during the film are played by bugs, VW bugs. And it’s always great to see how they can add human personalities and actions to inanimate cars. I probably would have enjoyed the film more if I was a big car buff but it’s not like I was expected to know all about the inner workings of automobiles. I thought this film was both fun and touching, just like most Pixar movies. I recommend this film to all. Even little children.

The Break-Up

The problem with The Break-Up is that I just didn’t care. I do find that I am way more invested in television relationships over movie ones. Most likely it’s because I can spend a longer time with the characters and maybe I can find myself relating to them easier. In a romantic comedy, you need to care about the characters. Will Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet at the end of Sleepless in Seattle? I’m not going to lose sleep over it; we never really see them together. I was sad when Ross and Rachel broke up on Friends. I wasn’t weeping non-stop and grabbing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s but it did get to me. Maybe it’s because I spent three years watching their up and down relationship, then again, maybe I’m just a pansy. To be fair, some movies can engross me enough to care about their relationships, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally . . . come to mind. When it came to The Break-Up however, I just wasn’t feeling the love.

The only time we see Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston as a happy couple is in the opening credits of the movie. And even then, it’s only photos of their life together; a slide show of love. Then for the rest of the movie, we see them being jerks to each other. They spend their time pushing each other’s buttons with handsome dates and strippers playing poker. And like a bad sitcom, the reason for the break-up comes down to bad communication. Like most movies, and sitcom episodes for that matter, all issues could be resolved in five minutes if the characters were honest with each other and shared their feelings. Now I will admit that there are a few good jokes in The Break-Up, but most of them could be found in the trailer, so you’re not really missing out. I do like seeing Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau reignite their Swingers chemistry but it’s not enough to sustain the film. I have also heard a bunch of people griping about the ending. I figure since I don’t care about the individuals, why should I care how it ends up? I was pretty disappointed in this film and wouldn’t even recommend the renting of it. Wait till it comes out on network television, since it’s trying so hard to be a sitcom anyway.

X3

I never grew up with X-Men. My trinity of superheroes were Spiderman, Batman and Superman. Luckily all three have been successfully brought to the big screen in these last few years with upcoming sequels to keep me salivating. It’s not that I don’t like the X-Men it’s just that I don’t know that much about them. I don’t know how old Angel is supposed to be or how blue The Beast’s skin is or how Juggernaut is supposed to act. I have nothing to compare them to, and I haven’t given the time to researching the original comics, although I’m sure they would be an entertaining read. I have enjoyed the X-Men series, they haven’t been spectacular in my opinion, but I have had a fun time watching their adventures on the screen. I was a little worried when I heard that Bryan Singer was leaving the series to direct Superman Returns and they went with the hot-and-cold Brett Ratner to replace him. I was even more worried when the studio wanted to teach Singer a lesson by pushing up X3’s release date to get the jump on Superman. But all in all, the film turned out fine; again, nothing spectacular, but fitting nicely within the X-Men trilogy.

And that’s my biggest complain about X3, is this the end of a trilogy or are they going on because the movie was left very unresolved. I’ve heard that Wolverine is getting his spin-off franchise, but what about the others? I heard rumblings that a junior X-Men movie featuring Iceman, Rogue, Kitty Pryde and the others might be a possibility. I kind of hope this is the case, otherwise whoever storyboarded X3 should be shot for its dangling plotlines. Angel’s storyline is rather weak, Rogue is pushed into the background and Cyclops is given no respect (but maybe that’s because he jumped ship to Singer’s Superman). I think my biggest problem with the X-Men franchise is that there are way too many superheroes to keep track of. Each movie introduces five more heroes, which means a lot of plot juggling needs to take place. Look what happened when Batman added, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Bane, and Mr. Freeze to its already bloated cast. Well that, and Joel Schumacher doesn’t know how to say to no to studio cross-marketing. In any case, I think X-Men is a darn fun movie. Wolverine gets some time to have fun, there are some thematic elements that can garner discussion and there are some surprising fates for some of our most beloved X-Men. I would recommend seeing the other two films before watching this one, however, as there are some continuations from the second movie. Just wait for the DVD and watch them back-to-back and see if Wolverine’s hair gets bigger with each passing movie. Oh yeah, also watch to the very end of the credits on X3, there’s another scene. I didn’t do it the first time, and that’s why I’m waiting for the DVD.