TV: Fall TV Preview

And away we go . . .

NEW SHOWS (HOPEFULS) These are the shows I’ll try for a few weeks. I haven’t been able to preview all of them yet. These are merely guesses.

GLEE Premiere: Wednesday, Sept. 9; 9:00pm on FOX Premise: A beloved teacher revives a glee club full of loner students. Pedigree: Created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck; Popular) What looks good: The singing does sound good. Jane Lynch is pretty funny. Why I’m worried: How far can the premise go? I know nothing about glee clubs. Also, Fox has spent too much time hyping this show. Don’t count your chickens...

COMMUNITY Premiere: Thursday, Sept 17; 9:30pm on NBC Premise: A lawyer with a revoked degree returns to community college Pedigree: Created by Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Show; Monster House) What looks good: Joel McHale (The Soup) is quick and sharp. Some great one-liners. Reminds me of the movie Van Wilder. Why I’m worried: Hope I care about the characters. Chevy Chase could get annoying.

BORED TO DEATH Premiere: Sunday, Sept 20; 9:30pm on HBO Premise: A struggling writer reinvents himself as a private detective. Pedigree: Stars Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) What looks good: Ted Danson (Cheers) and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) also star. Those three actors alone make this show worth watching Why I’m worried: Not enough people have heard about it, meaning low ratings may sink this comedic ship.

COUGAR TOWN Premiere: Wednesday, Sept 23; 9:30pm on ABC Premise: A 40-year-old divorcee tries to reenter the dating game. Pedigree: Created by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City) What looks good: This looks like a fun role for Courtney Cox. I trust the comedy of Bill Lawrence. Great supporting cast too. Why I’m worried: The cougar angle has been overdone. I should note that the town in which they live have a football team called The Cougars. Maybe it will focus more on them. Doubt it though.

FLASH FORWARD Premiere: Thursday, Sept 24; 8:00pm on ABC Premise: Everyone blacks out and sees their future. Pedigree: Created by David S Goyer (Batman Begins, Dark Knight writer) What looks good: A lot of people are comparing the intensity to Lost. Great cast and interesting story. Why I’m worried: How long can this story last? How long will it take to get to their vision of the future?

THE MIDDLE Premiere: Wednesday, Sept 30; 8:30pm on ABC Premise: Basically Malcom in the Middle from the mother’s point of view. Pedigree: Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline worked on How I Met Your Mother What looks good: I like Neil Flynn (Janitor on Scrubs). Why I’m worried: Hoping it’s not too sappy. Or that it tries to hard to be like Malcom in the Middle. NEW SHOWS (NO THANKS) These are shows I’m most likely not going to watch for some reason or other. Here are some of the reasons. Accidentally on Purpose: Jenna Elfman? No thanks. The Beautiful Life: I storingly dislike Mischa Barton. Brothers: Seems like a mixture of sappy and sass. The Cleveland Show: Enough seth McFarland please. Eastwick: The movie didn’t work for me. I doubt the show would. The Forgotten: No more crime procedurals for me. The Good Wife: Don’t like the cast. The plot looks boring. Hank: Kelsey Grammer just keeps playing Frasier with different names. Melrose Place: Didn’t watch the original. Don’t care to now. Mercy: Looks an awful lot like Grey’s Anatomy. Pass. Modern Family: Too many documetary style shows already. NCIS: Los Angeles: Didn’t watch the original. Too CSI-y Three Rivers: Looks mind-numbingly boring Trauma: No more medical shows. House is enough for me. Vampire Diaries: Talk about jumping on the Twilight bandwagon. RETURNING SHOWS These are shows I’m still watching this year. Here are the reasons.

Simpsons (21st Season): It’s still funny after all these years. Family Guy (8th Season): Star Wars parodies alone are worth it. Curb Your Enthusiasm (7th Season): Seinfeld is reunited. Can’t wait. Mad Men (3rd Season): Such a well written show. Captivating. Amazing Race (14th Season): There’s a reason it wins awards. Dexter (4th Season): Wonder how the baby will change Dexter. Entourage (6th Season): Sick of Eric, love the rest. How I Met Your Mother (5th Season): NPH. Need I say more? House (6th Season): Still formula but still worth watching. 2½ Men (7th Season): The laughs keep coming. Big Bang Theory (3rd Season): Not just for geeks. Very funny. SNL Thursdays (2nd Season): Love the Weekend Updates. Parks & Recreation (2nd Season): The show is growing on me. Fast. The Office (6th Season): Wonder how the marriage will affect the show. Fringe (2nd Season): They introduced some pretty cool things last season. Smallville (9th Season): Could this season finally be the end? Dollhouse (2nd Season): Let’s see Joss earn his stay of execution. RETURNING SHOWS (NO THANKS) These are shows I’m tired of and therefore letting go from my schedule.

American Dad: Sunday night is just too busy for this Heroes: I’m sick of the lazy writing. Only the first season is good. CSI: Don’t like Laurence Fishburne.

THE FALL SCHEDULE Here’s my geeky colour-coded fall schedule. Sunday also includes Family Guy and Entourage but they will have to be taped due to the busy-ness of the night. Sunday is the only night with conflicts. It will be nice to have a break on Tuesday this year. Of course, the schedule will change around a bunch in October with new shows, returning shows and cancelled shows messing everything up. October brings us 30 Rock, Nip/Tuck and Friday Night Lights. We’ll see where eveything slots in at that time. Till then though, here’s my TV schedule.

There you have it. My next posts will be about the Emmy Awards and the Fall/Winter Movie Preview. Stay Tuned.

TV: Summer Viewing

Summer is over. I saw some movies and wrote some reviews. You may be asking, “What about television?” Well, now it’s time to switch gears back to my addiction to the tube. Before I begin reviewing the new season, I thought I would quickly reflect on my summer television viewing. While most people use the summer break to catch up on reading and stuff, I like to catch up on television shows I may have missed, as well as revisit some quality shows, mostly to expose my new wife to exceptional television. Here’s the reviews in a nutshell:

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4
4 Didn't like Baltar’s story that much. Loved Adama’s however.
4 The mutiny two-part episode was riveting. May be best eps ever.
4 These guys know how to end a series. Classy.

Breaking Bad: Season 1 & 2
4 You won’t think Bryan Cranston = Malcom in the Middle dad again
4 Aaron Paul practically steals the whole show as Jesse Pinkman
4 Beautiful cinematography in some of the episodes.

The Big Bang Theory: Season 1 & 2
4 A lot funnier than I thought it would be. The premise actually works.
4 Jim Parsons is frickin’ hilarious. Amazing work.
4 Don’t need the love story but I can see why the producers do.

Friday Night Lights: Season 1, 2 & 3
4 I haven’t been this surprised with liking a series since West Wing
4 Season 1 & 3 are fantastic. Season 2 is terrible. Nice comeback.
4 Finally a realistic married couple on TV. Good job Taylors!

John Adams: Mini-series
4 Paul Giamatti is brilliant. So is Tom Wilkinson.
4 It’s nice to learn some history while being entertained
4 A little too much on his later life, the early is life is better.

Weeds: Season 5
4 This show is getting more and more ludicrous with each episode.
4 I have a hard time rooting for a such a terrible mother. So annoying.
4 I’m hoping the cliffhanger has them move again next season

Entourage: Season 6
4 This season is more on the entourage than Vince. Not sure about it.
4 Eric’s wishy-washiness with women is pretty annoying this season.
4 Ari and Drama’s storylines are pretty good this time out.

ReWatched Damages: Season 1 & 2
4 Great storytelling with many twists and turns to keep you guessing.

ReWatched Mad Men: Season 1 & 2
4 Such an intelligent and subtle show. Enjoying Season 3 so far.

ReWatched Dead Like Me: Season 1 & 2
4 Fun look at death, though they revisit some themes a little too often

And there you have it. That was my summer viewing. Coming very soon is my fall TV schedule as well as reviews of the some of the new shows debuting in a couple weeks. As a heads up, you might want to check out Glee. Not sure yet if it’s worth all the hype, but I’ll be giving it a chance.

Film: G.I.Joe

STARRING: Channing Tatum (Step Up); Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie); Siennea Miller (Stardust); Ray Park (Star Wars); Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point)
DIRECTOR: Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns)
WRITERS: Stuart Beattie (Australia); David Elliot & Paul Lovett (Four Brothers)
PLOT: GI Joe take on a notorious arms dealer. We learn some backstory and lame CG explosions ensue.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
This contains spoilers.
4 Unlike Transformers, some of the GI Joe characters look like their action figures. It’s a small thing but something I appreciate. I did not like Cobra Commander’s mask, however, I guess the actor wants to show his eyes in the next film.
4 I’m getting awfully tired of CG explosions. I feel sorry for the poor pyrotechnic people who are being replaced by computers. Some of it looks realistic, but most effects look incredibly lame.
4 I’d like to see more female villains who don’t fall in love with the heroes. Cat Woman? Mystique? And now the Baroness? The romantic storyline was idiotic.
4 Here are the people I felt most sorry for while watching this film:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – After 500 Days of Summer and Brick, what is he doing in this crappy movie? I hope he’s just doing it for the paycheck, like George Clooney did for Batman and Robin. I guess indie films don’t pay the bills.
Ray Park – He’s an amazing martial artist, but with the constant mask-wearing, you’d think that his face is utterly hideous. Let Snake-Eyes remove the mask so he can breathe once in a while.
Dennis Quaid – I know he’s playing a plastic action figure but that doesn’t mean his acting has to be plastic. Actually plastic is generous. He was cardboard. He was terrible! What a black smudge on a otherwise pretty good resume.
Brendan Fraser – I know he owes Sommers for the Mummy fame, but he didn’t need to slum it. Even for three minutes.
4 Four words: ice floats you morons!

RECOMMENDATION
Avoid at all costs
(Unless you are a die-hard fan of
GI Joe, then wait for TBS)

COMING SOON
maybe Cold Souls or Paper Hearts

Film: Inglorious Basterds

STARRING: Brad Pitt (Ocean’s 11-13, Fight Club); Christoph Waltz (German films); Eli Roth (director of Hostels); Melanie Laurent (French films); Diane Kruger (National Treasures, Troy)
DIRECTOR: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs)
WRITER: Quentin Tarantino (see above)
PLOT: A fantasy revenge film about the a group of Jewish American soldiers brutally killing Nazis in occupied France.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 After the bloodbath that was Kill Bill, I expected a lot more bloodshed in Inglorious Basterds. Not so. Sure there are some scalpings and some brutal scenes here and there but most of the film is conversational dialogue. Subtitled no less. But these conversation are so intense, my heart was beating pretty rapidly throughout film.
4 A lot of the tension is brought to us by Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa, the “Jew Hunter”. He takes his time interrogating people, so much so, that you start questioning if he knows more than he’s letting on or not. This guy is getting an Oscar nomination. Hands down. Stellar performance.
4 Tarantino does a wonderful job blending genres in his surprisingly linear script. It's a war film with action and severe consequences. It's a film noir with the perfect femme fatales. It's a spy thrillers with the perfect amount of suspense and intrigue. And the dialogue is so incredibly rich. I found it odd, however, that some of the French words spoken were then subtitled in French as well. Maybe it was meaningful.
4 Like many Tarantino films, the score is great. The soundtrack, however, was not as memorable. The David Bowie song is fine and all but not as resonant as past Tarantino song choices. Little disappointed, but not too much.
4 I was surprised to see a lot of elderly people in the audience. Maybe because it was a matinee. I thought old people would be adverse to Tarantino fare. Maybe it’s because of the war genre, maybe they were Jewish. I wonder what they thought of the picture.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(You’ll be on the edge of your seat)

COMING SOON
Taking Woodstock, Cold Souls or Paper Hearts
(if I can find them)

Film: District 9

STARRING: Sharlto Copely (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: Neill Blomkamp (newcomer)
WRITERS: Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell (newcomers)
PLOT: An alien race is forced to live in the slums of Johannesburg but get an ally in a by-the-book government agent.



FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 When Oscar time comes around, we better hear the name Sharlto Copely in the nominees for outstanding lead actor in a motion picture. This newcomer is amazing. He carries the movie. I’m sure being best friends with the director helped, but this guy knocks the film out of the park. Copely plays the perfect underdog hero. His reactions are relatable. He often chooses to run. He panics. He is the main reason to watch this film. Wow.
4 This film was supposedly made for 30 million dollars. That’s cheap by Hollywood standards. Sure the filming style does not look expensive but the giant ship and the constant alien presence would have quite the price-tag. But then again, the director had done loads of 3D animation for other films. I’m sure he discounted his own work to make everything look so realistic. Wow.
4 District 9 may be sci-fi based but it definitely has a great message about how we treat those from different races and social standings. Talk about walking a mile in another man’s shoes. Who would have thought a sci-fi film could be this meaningful? I also liked that the story remained simple. There’s not this huge mythology you need to know before going in. A lot of the backstory is told in documentary form, so it’s easy to follow along.
4 There are some scenes that are hard to watch. It kind of reminded me of The Fly with Jeff Goldblum. This film could stop people from biting their nails entirely. I shudder just thinking it about it. But then, again I have a thing with fingernails.
4 One of the only things that bothered me is that they switch from documentary style to regular filming without a clean break. It just seems to morph. Maybe they don’t want you to notice, but I think there should have been something more distinctive. Something Cloverfield-style maybe. But this is a minor detail.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre/ Wait for DVD
(There is some great action and visual effects)
(The shaky camera may irritate some)

COMING SOON
Inglorious Basterds

Film: (500) Days of Summer

STARRING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, The Lookout); Zooey Deshanel (Yes Man, Elf, Surf’s Up )
DIRECTOR: Marc Webb (music videos)
WRITERS: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (Pink Panther 2)
PLOT: A nonlinear romantic comedy about a woman who doesn’t believe in true love and the man who falls for her.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 If you’re doing a romantic comedy, it all hinges on the chemistry of the romantic leads. (500) Days of Summer does not disappoint. I’ve enjoyed Gordon-Levitt’s work ever since his amazing turn in Brick. He plays awkward yet endearing beautifully. Deshanel is always adorable in a pixie way. They play well off each other and that makes this film a treat to watch.
4 When you look at the writers’ previous effort it must make you cringe a little. Summer, however, is incredibly well written. It perfectly captures all the ins and outs of infatuation, flirtation, and rejection. The script twists some of the usual romantic conventions while celebrating others. Nicely done.
4 Like Juno and Garden State before it, Summer makes good use of music to help tell their story. It helps that the lead characters are into The Smiths. It also helps that the director used to work on music videos. I bought the soundtrack after the movie ended. Oh, and there is a fantastic dance sequence to the Hall & Oates classic ‘You Make My Dreams.’ It’s perfection.
4 My biggest beef about this film is the unnecessary narrator. The actors do a fine job of showing their emotions on the screen; I don’t need a narrator to tell me what I already know. It’s not like the film is all cerebral and confusing. It’s a rookie mistake, but I’ll forgive them.
4 It’s only 90 minutes long! Perfect length! Take notes, Judd Apatow!

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(Just so you can tell others about it)
(It’s hard to find but worth the time)

COMING SOON
District 9, Inglorious Basterds

Film: Funny People

STARRING: Adam Sandler (Click, Happy Gilmore) Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, Superbad)
DIRECTOR: Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin)
WRITER: Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Walk Hard, Fun with Dick & Jane)
PLOT: Comedian George Simmons learns he has a terminal illness so he decides to start a friendship with an new performer.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Judd Apatow is known for mixing outrageous humour with heartfelt stories. Funny People follows the same formula, more so than Apatow’s previous efforts. The comedy is constant with the numerous stand-up bits as well as the lively banter between Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler. In fact, Sandler does a nice job of the serious stuff to.
4 Apatow surrounds fictional George Simmons with a fun cavalcade of real comedians like Silverman, Romano, Reiser, Dick, Fleischer, Wallace, MacDonald. It’s nice to see everyone chippin’ in.
4 I’ve come to the conclusion that Jonah Hill is good in small doses. He’s too much in Superbad but he has just the right amount of humourous input. His quick riff on Harry Potter is very fun.
4 Comedies should be 90 minutes. Funny People is 2 1/2 hours long. It’s like two movies in one. Once the love story kicks in, I was wanting it to end. It really seemed like Apatow couldn’t make up his mind. Leslie Mann does well but is introduced to the story way too late.
4 Some of the stand-up stuff is very funny but I still find that movies these days have too many references to balls. Hope there aren’t any eunuchs in this film’s audience.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD

COMING SOON
500 Days of Summer

Film: Harry Potter 6

STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint (Harry Potter 1-5); Michael Gambon (Sleepy Hollow); Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge)
DIRECTOR: David Yates (Harry Potter 5)
WRITER: Steve Kloves (Harry Potter 1-4)
PLOT: Harry Potter learns about Voldemort’s past while trying to figure out the identity of the half-blood prince and dealing with multiple love triangles.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I have to admit that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was one of the weakest installments of the series. The Half-Blood Prince made up for it and more. This was a really fun movie. Some of the credit should go to Steve Kloves. He’s written all the screenplays except the last one, so it was nice to return to the lighter side of Hogwarts, amidst the dark tones throughout.
4 Half-Blood Prince is beautifully shot with Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, Across the Universe) behind the camera. Interesting camera angles, perfectly framed shots and smoothly flowing visual effects make this film captivating.
4 It’s nice to see the kids grow up. The multiple love triangles allow the actors to express their full range of emotions. Working in a school, I see these kinds of interactions all the time; the actors in this film nail it. Fun stuff.
4 There’s a great sequence in the film where Harry Potter is high on luck. Radcliffe is quite funny during this bit. It takes a little pressure off of Rupert Grint who gets the lionshare of the comic relief.
4 My one disappointment is that I was hoping for a more intense climax. I didn’t like the fighting free-for-all in the last movie, but I was hoping for something a little bigger for the climatic death scene. It was sad but not big enough for my liking. I am, however, looking forward to the last two-part chapter.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(Definitely worthy of the big screen)

COMING SOON
500 Days of Summer, Funny People

Film: Bruno

STARRING: Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Sweeny Todd, Talledaga Nights)
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles (Borat)
WRITERS: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer (Borat, Da Ali G Show); Jeff Schaffer (Eurotrip)
PLOT: Ultra-gay Austrian fashionista Bruno wants to become a star in America. Uncomfortable interactions ensue.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 It’s hard to do a review of Bruno without mentioning Borat. They are kindred spirits but I found myself rooting less for Sacha Baron Cohen latest character. Borat had more of an innocent demeanor being a simple foreigner; Bruno should know better so he doesn’t come off quite as well. Of course, you have to applaud the risks that Baron Cohen when it comes to his characters.
4 I did find the content of this movie more pointed and relevant. The plot seemed to make sense as Bruno tries to make it big. His challenging of middle America’s responses to homosexuality is humourous and relevant given the gay marriage debate in California. Borat was more random as he tries to meet Pamela Anderson.
4 Unfortunately most of the funny bits can also be found in the commercials. There are some lines here and there but it did not contain the same awkward humour as Borat. Maybe it’s another ‘been there, done that’ sort of thing.
4 Of course, most of the time, I found myself wondering what is real and what is staged. People say the dumbest things when they are being videotaped. I felt a little bad for Ron Paul who is taken advantage of and led under false pretenses. I did like Harrison Ford’s response however. Watching the climactic ending at UFC, it seems obvious that Baron Cohen must have some pretty tight security in order to keep himself from being killed.
4 I understand that when looking at the modeling world and homosexuality, there might be some nudity, but Bruno was over the top. It was pornographic. It should get an X-rating for some of the shots. The swingers party crosses so many lines I can’t count them. It was mostly these times where I was embarrassed to be watching this film. Luckily, this is the last of the Da Ali G Show characters, so Baron Cohen doesn’t have to top himself. Thank goodness.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for TBS
(You might appreciate
the censored version)

COMING SOON
Harry Potter 6

Film: Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

STARRING: Denzel Washington (Inside Man); John Travolta (Swordfish); John Turturro (Transformers)
DIRECTOR: Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Domino, Spy Game)
WRITER: Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential, Man on Fire, Payback)
PLOT: A New York subway dispatcher has to negotiate with a terrorist who has taken over one of the subway cars.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Pelham is an okay flick but was reminiscent of Speed but without all the action from the good guy. The two leads are great on the phone together but things veer way off course when they get off the subway. Same problem Speed had.
4 Tony Scott has a style all his own. Lots of epileptic camera movement and titles appearing on the screen periodically. Sometimes it works; sometimes it gives me a headache. Man on Fire it worked. Domino = headache. This film is pretty much 50/50.
4 I hate it when characters are stupid for the sake of the plot. There is a point where just one passenger needs to contact the dispatcher to stop a train but instead they all just panic. Lazy storytelling. I expect a bit more from Brian Helgeland.
4 I liked the casting of James Gandolfini as the mayor. It suited him. Some nice Giuliani jokes too. Also glad to see John Turturro restrain himself as the negotiator. After his awful Transformers performance, it’s nice to see him being normal.
4 The mouth on Travolta’s character was unnecessary. He says motherf*****r way too much to be taken seriously.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for Movie Central

COMING SOON
Bruno, Harry Potter 6

Film: Public Enemies

STARRING: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeny Todd ); Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, Terminator: Salvation)
DIRECTOR: Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Collateral, Heat)
WRITERS: Ronan Bennett (newcomer); Ann Biderman (Primal Fear); Michael Mann (Heat)
PLOT: The Feds try to take down John Dillinger and other notorious gangsters during a crime wave in the 1930s.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4While watching Public Enemies, I kept thinking back to a couple of other classic films. Enemies blended the criminal crackdowns of The Untouchables with the cocky anti-heroism of Bonnie & Clyde. Granted that’s some good company to be with but it also felt a little ‘been there, done that’. I was hoping for a little more originality.
4 This film hinges on Johnny Depp’s performance. Without him, this movie would truly fail. If nothing else, watching Depp’s slick, charismatic portrayal of John Dillinger is worth the admission. He is one of the greatest actors of our generation. Unfortunately, Christian Bale was only so-so as Elliot Ness-like Melvin Purvis. I was hoping for a more powerhouse performance from Bale.
4 Michael Mann does a great job of filming some of the shoot-em up action sequences; he also plays with some interesting low angles. What started to bother me though were his extreme close-ups when people were talking. When you start spending your time counting the moles on someone’s face or judging their eyebrow grooming, you’re camera is a little too close.
4The shoot-out scenes were entertaining but I was hoping for more bank robberies. Why were these gangsters so good at their jobs? There is one scene near the end where they begin scheming a train robbery but nothing comes from it. That’s something I wanted to see. Along with the shoot-outs, I did enjoy some of the ways the gangsters foiled the feds. Good times.
4I guess when it all comes down to it. I was expecting a little more drama in this film. I didn’t feel connected to Purvis and didn’t know why he was such a stand-up guy. I didn’t feel connected to a lot of the story. With the exception of Depp, it just felt a little flat. I guess I was hoping for more with a double-punch of Depp and Bale. Maybe my expectations were too high. Oh well.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(Still an enjoyable flick, but
not needed in the theatre)

COMING SOON
Bruno, Harry Potter 6

Film: Transformers 2

STARRING: Shia LaBeouf (Indy 4, Disturbia ); Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas); John Turturro (Quiz Show, Mr. Deeds)
DIRECTOR: Micahel Bay (The Island)
WRITERS: Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, Star Trek) Ehren Kruger (Reindeer Games)
PLOT: Sam is the key (of course) to reviving both Optimus Prime and some do-hickey that will destroy the earth. Explosions ensue.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I have the same complaint I had with the first installment. These Transformers don’t look like the toys I used to play with. They’re too complicated. They have too many parts. And something I noticed more this time around is that I can’t tell what facial expressions they’re making. Are they angry, sad, concerned, happy? I can’t tell because their face is too busy with gears and crap. I knew this going into the film but it still bothers me. I still prefer the cartoon.
4 The human acting is so over-the-top. Everyone seems like an action cliché. It’s very disappointing. One scene I did like is when Shia LaBeouf’s Sam screams like a little girl when he is attacked in his dorm room. Funny. But that was it. I feel sorry for John Turturro who deserves better than this garbage. His character is so poorly conceived, he has nowhere to go but insane.
4 I think Michael Bay has been given too much power since going over to Dreamworks. When he was working with Jerry Bruckheimer, things were fun. Bad Boys and The Rock had a wonderful mix of action and humour. Because Bruckhemier is so hands-on, Bay was kept at bay. Michael’s last three films with Dreamworks have a much colder and darker look and are lacking in the light humour department. Bay knows how to blow things up and shoot complicated sequences but that’s not enough. Which leads me to plot.
4 In the film, Turturro’s character asks one of the old Transformers to just tell him the basic plot. I wish the audience could have got one for this movie. The plot is paper-thin. In one scene, Sam says he has to go two miles from one end of a rundown town to the other. This takes one hour on film because of all the explosions in between. I hoping I can blame Kruger for the flimsy storytelling. Orci and Kurtzman wrote Star Trek. They are in my good books. I’m assuming Kruger took the initial storyline and punched it up until it was unrecognizable. Sad. Also, since the film is called Transformers, I would hope there would be more about the Transformers rather than focussing 90% on the human element. The human angle in important since the movie takes place on earth but still.
4 I know this film is supposed to be aimed at teenagers, but the humour was so juvenile, it made me fear for mankind. But if you like seeing dogs hump each other and you snicker at any mention of the word “balls”, then this is the film for you. It’s also for those who just want to ogle Megan Fox’s body as she runs from place to place and leans over cars in slow motion.

RECOMMENDATION
Avoid at all costs

COMING SOON
Public Enemies

Film: The Proposal

STARRING: Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, While You Were Sleeping ); Ryan Reynolds (Wolverine, Van Wilder)
DIRECTOR: Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up, choreographer)
WRITER: Peter Chiarelli (newcomer)
PLOT: An executive blackmails her assistant to marry her to keep from being deported back to Canada. Of course a family get together puts a wrench in the plans.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I don’t consider myself a fan of romantic comedies. However, I have seen most of the Sandra Bullock ones (except Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous; I couldn’t get past the title). Bullock is fun to watch. It seems effortless to her. She is not afraid to look foolish and she’s great at being sarcastic and sincere. That’s probably why they keep putting her in these films.
4 Ryan Reynolds is so darn charming. I will always see him as Van Wilder, no matter what kind of role he plays. His line delivery might always sound the same but it seems to work. I also like that he’s a good Canadian boy. Way to represent.
4 Like many comedies, it’s the supporting roles that steal the show. Betty White (Golden Girls, Mary Tyler Moore) proves that she still has the comedic chops. She is so fun to watch. There’ s a weird chanting scene, but I think it’s just in the movie to give White more time to interact with Bullock. It’s also nice to see Oscar Nunez (The Office) in his multiple roles. His stripper performance is quite disturbing.
4 At times, I felt like I was watching While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is great at making families fall in love with her and then she leaves them sad when things don’t work out. That is until the guy chases her down with the family’s blessing. Disappointing and cliché.
4 Lots of people are talking about the ‘nude’ scene where a naked Bullock and Reynolds run into each other. The scene does not serve the plot at all. I’m pretty sure it’s in there to show the audience that Bullock can still look young and sexy. The setup is so over the top as well. Reynolds’ character decides to take off all his clothes while standing on his bedroom balcony instead of in the bedroom. Who does that?

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for Movie Central or TBS
(you’ve seen this all before)

COMING SOON
Transformers 2

Film: The Hangover

STARRING: Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Alias ); Ed Helms (The Office); Zach Galifianakis (Tru Calling)
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky & Hutch, Road Trip)
WRITERS: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Four Christmases)
PLOT: Three groomsmen wake up from an outrageous bachelor party that they have absolutely no memory of. And the groom is missing.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 What makes this film work is the chemistry of the lead characters. All three of them are so different from each other, but they have an instant rapport. This male bonding reminded me a lot of Old School, also directed by Phillips.
4 Great tight cast. Bradley Cooper has paid his dues in a lot of films, so it’s great to see him take the lead. Also it’s fun to see Ed Helms outside of The Office. But in the end, it’s Zach Galifianakis that steals the show as the weird brother-in-law. He’s going to make it big soon.
4 Half the fun of The Hangover is trying to figure out what actually happened the night before. I had just as good a time figuring things out as I did enjoying the humourous situations these groomsmen found themselves in. And just so the audience isn’t left hanging, we get to catch a glimpse what actually did happen over in the night with a series of photos that run alongside the closing credits. You could tell they had fun posing for the outrageous pics.
4 Because it’s Todd Phillips and because it’s the comedy norm these days, along with the laughs comes the inevitable raunchiness. It is a bachelor party after all. There are a few disturbing scenes thrown into the mix. It’s too bad really, another film that I have a hard time recommending to most people. Also I can only look at Helms' broken teeth for so long.
4 The Hangover is definitely a guy movie. It’s full of male humour, bodily functions and such. With I Love You Man, Star Trek and now The Hangover, this year’s crop of films are definitely being aimed at the male population. Take that Sex in the City: The Movie.

RECOMMENDATION
Wait for DVD
(Nothing really cinematic about it)

COMING SOON
Taking of Pelham 123, Transformers 2

Film: Up

STARRING: Ed Asner (Studio 60, Lou Grant, Elf ); Jordan Nagai (newcomer)
DIRECTORS: Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.)
& Bob Peterson (first-time)
WRITER: Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo)
PLOT: Carl tries to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing South America by transporting his home using thousands of balloons. Unfortunately for him, an eager boy scout is along for the ride.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 Pixar gets everything right. Again. What I love about Pixar films is the heart that is found in each story. While there is plenty of wit, humour and slapstick, I often find myself really caring for these animated characters. Even though you can see some of the character progression a mile away, it is still endearing when it’s presented on the screen. Loved the grape soda pin.
4 Pixar animation is like nothing else. They take so much time to perfect their images. The balloons alone are worth watching. I also like how they make the humans look like cartoon characters instead of trying to make them look realistic. I love that Carl is so boxy in his design.
4 Like Wall*E, this film does not load up on the characters. We are given a chance to really get to know four or five individuals. Simplicity is the key. And I while I hate a movie like Snow Dogs where live animals are given the gift of speech, I love how they justify the talking dogs in this film. Dug is awesome.
4 Even after seeing plenty of trailers for Up, it never occurred to me that Russell, the boy scout, is Asian. I must hand it to Pixar for ignoring the stereotypes that are often found in other Disney fare. I liked the racial diversity and that it’s not made into an issue in this picture.
4 My one concern with Pixar (and I noticed this during Wall*E as well) is that their films seem to be aimed more at adults with some stuff thrown in for the kids as opposed to aimed at kids with a couple of things just for the parents. Since Up deals with the elderly and honouring the memory of a loved one, I wonder how much the kids enjoy the film. I’m sure they like Russell and Dug, but a lot of the content seems like it would go over their head. Don’t get me wrong, I love the themes and artsy-ness of Pixar movies but I sometimes wonder if I’d feel the same way if I were a parent.

RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatre
(All Pixar films need a big screen viewing)

COMING SOON
The Hangover, Taking of Pelham 123, Transformers 2