The Seeing-Eye Blog

The Best and Worst Films of 2010

2011-01-18T17:30:00.004-05:00

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains. Think about that for a while” – Ebby Calvin LaLoosh, Bull Durham (1988)

If I had to use one word to describe the year 2010 at the movies, it would be “batshit.” Whether it was Christopher Nolan concocting a byzantine Freudian phantasm in “Inception,” Natalie Portman not-so-subtly losing her marbles at the hands of incendiary puppet master Darren Aronofsky or the zombies responsible for “Sex and the City 2” actually thinking that audiences can relate to such vacuous materialism, the term appears appropriate regardless of the film in question.

Then again, I could probably use that indecorous designation to describe the year in general given that Brett Favre decided that texting his junk was trendy and partisan vitriol has supposedly reached its worst level since John Wilkes Booth was in the planning stages but, for now, I’ll simply stay focused on the task at hand.

I opened with a quote from “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) because, not only does it rain on occasion, but sometimes one’s laptop decides to take a vacation just as the creative juices are beginning to flow and the only thing to do is wait patiently while the technological forces of nature play themselves out. The past four weeks mark the longest hiatus from writing I’ve ever taken, but I suppose an end-of-the-year break was just what I needed to get amped up for another semester of late-night Westlaw research. I was able to catch up on films I missed earlier in the year, so I consider this year’s list to be one of the most diverse and fully fleshed out I’ve ever constructed. I’ll let you be the judge.

Before getting into the cream of the crop, here are the films that I liked a lot yet, in the end, deemed worthy of an honorable mention:

“127 Hours” – Who needs Four Loko when you have Danny Boyle’s kinetic camerawork around to push your heart to the edge of combustion?

“The Town” – This blue-collar heist flick marked the first time since 2003 that I actually paid to see anything involving Ben Affleck and I’m glad to say that he didn’t let me down. The script was sharp, the action was turbulent and Jeremy Renner follows up “The Hurt Locker” with another gem of a performance.

“Greenberg” - Yes, it’s about a 40-year-old Jewish misanthrope who spends his days writing complaint letters to corporations that don’t live up to his standards, but Ben Stiller’s subtle nuances play off Greta Gerwig’s train-wreck vulnerability beautifully. My guess is most people will hate this film without giving it a fair shake, but everything about it works and works to indie-film perfection.

“Rabbit Hole” – Nicole Kidman gives her best performance since 2003’s “Dogville” and Aaron Eckhart matches her intensity every step of the way.

“Inception” – I have a feeling that if I see it a second time, I may put it on the list, but not just yet. When I walked out of the theatre in July, I felt as if something were missing to put it over the top for me.

“The Kids Are All Right” – If you look closely at the closing credits of John Singleton’s 1991 masterwork “Boyz N the Hood,” you’ll find director Lisa Cholodenko listed as a post-production assistant but, with this whip-smart family dramedy, she’s announced herself as a formidable filmmaker in her own right. However, the self-congratulatory air of the film along with its one-sided berating of Mark Ruffalo’s character kept it from entering the top 10.

“Kick-Ass” – Chloe Grace Moretz’s brazenly profane embodiment of Hit-Girl is really all you need to see to know how hysterical this film is. An acquired taste for sure.

And now, without further adieu, I give you my top 10 films of 2010:

1. “Black Swan” – Natalie Portman flies off the rails as a prima ballerina struggling to stay relevant in a flavor-of-the-week world and, if justice exists, she’ll be bringing home the gold on Feb. 27. In many ways, this film is a companion piece to Darren Aronofsky’s previous feature “The Wrestler,” because both films center on protagonists whose self-worth is so symbiotically tied up in their profession that they’ll go to precarious lengths to avoid fading into obscurity. I’m still trying to shake off the film’s sinister climax.

2. “Dogtooth” – Director Yorgos Lanthimos dares his audience to watch as a seemingly innocent family delves deeper into totalitarian madness and any child who complains that his parents are strict should watch this film for an attitude adjustment.

3. “A Prophet” – Jacques Audiard navigates the seedy inner workings of prison life with unabashed cruelty as he chronicles the life of an Arab delinquent who rises from the ashes to become a mafia linchpin and makes a star of French actor Tahar Rahim in the process. Simply stunning.

4. “Exit Through the Gift Shop” – Is it real? Is it a hoax? For me, this charming and insightful look into the enigmatic phenomenon of street art through the eyes of notorious artist Banksy works beautifully either way. It’s an example of how subcultural incorporation can cause those within the subculture to question the validity of their work even while its popularity is skyrocketing at an epic pace, which makes for some classic confrontations.

5. “Fish Tank” – Newcomer Katie Jarvis gives an unflinching performance as a girl from the English slums aspiring to be a hip-hop dancer and, in my opinion, outdoes Jennifer Lawrence’s work in the much-praised “Winter’s Bone.” There’s something refreshing about a film that uses rap music in such a socially pertinent manner and the unfiltered spirit of Jarvis’s character is revealed during a scene in which she joins her bar-hag mother in a dance to Nas’s “Life’s a Bitch.” I can’t praise this film enough.

6. “The Social Network” – I thought I captured the essence of David Fincher’s greatness when I reviewed the film back in October, so I won’t add too much more here. However, I do believe that the hype surrounding its timely release led to some inflated praise regarding its ability to define an entire generation. I love it for exactly what it is and that is a magnificently written, acted and directed picture of how one man’s ambition and desire for inclusion put him in the driver’s seat of what is perhaps the most significant social sensation since the creation of Internet itself.

7. “The Fighter” – What was marketed as a gritty, lived-in boxing film turned out to be more than just another sports film in which the hero comes out of nowhere to achieve glory. In David O. Russell’s hands, this film takes the streetwise bravado of “Rocky” and the ferocious family ties of “The Godfather” to produce a redemption story that never feels forced or melodramatic. Mark Wahlberg might have gotten top billing, but Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams end up stealing the thunder right out from under him.

8. “Catfish” – Watching this one right after “The Social Network” is a good idea, because then you get to see the unimaginable personalities that result from living life on the Internet. I was on the edge of my seat every minute the mystery was unfolding and, if you have an open mind, you will be too.

9. “Toy Story 3” – Is it smart, funny, sad or moving? How about all four? Because many of the children who grew up with the first film are now in college, the fact that Andy is also going off to school may bring some added drama to a tearful yet ultimately ebullient celebration of growing up.

10. “Somewhere” – Sofia Coppola’s latest focuses on the ennui and alienation experienced by an A-List actor played by Stephen Dorff and there’s much beauty in its silence. Dorff’s character is changing while the celebrity-obsessed culture around him is staying the same so, when his estranged daughter shows up, he’s given a chance to reclaim the lust for life he once had and remind himself that clinical depression doesn’t have to define him as a human being.

The Worst - "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Case 39," "Brooklyn's Finest," "The Lovely Bones," "Robin Hood"

Steven Page begins new chapter with 'page one'

2010-10-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

When Steven Page left Barenaked Ladies (BNL) in 2009, the public hatched numerous theories as to what could’ve led to such an unforeseen decision. Whether it was a burgeoning rift with bandmates or simply the product of his 2008 drug arrest, critics appeared to speculate on everything other than the possibility that he might just be traveling in a different musical direction.

"Frankly, the band itself was a five-way democracy and one of the great things about it is that it's been about the five-way collaboration, but it's also one of the things that's made me decide to be a solo artist,” says Page when discussing his exodus. “As soon as I’d left BNL, I told my agent to put me on as many folk festivals as possible, so no one could assume I’d slip into the clichéd role of the eccentric hermit. I’m much more the eccentric extrovert!”

His latest solo effort “Page One” is due out on Oct. 19 and proves to be a majestically composed trove of songs that rank among his best yet. The album explores themes of “love, loss and new beginnings” while Page exudes an aura of distilled optimism that fans might not be expecting right out of the gate.

“I’d like to think I’m still delivering that thing that has connected with audiences for so long. Some listeners might have expected a brooding, woe-is-me album from me but, while there is some reflection, this is not a collection of diary entries,” he adds. “I’m excited by the album and to be performing it live as well.”

In anticipation of his upcoming show at The Riviera Theatre on Nov. 6, I spoke in-depth with Page about the new record as well as how his life has changed since leaving the band he spent more than 20 years being a part of. I found his down-to-earth levity to be a refreshing alternative to the often guarded nature of celebrity and immediately bought into the enthusiasm with which he approached his newfound solo endeavor.

Question: You’ve been out of BNL for a while now. How have you grown as an artist since your departure?

Steven Page: I still have immense respect for those guys. They’re a great band and I wish them the best. For me, the best parts have been not having to rely on others and being able to make the big decisions myself. I have more confidence in my abilities as an artist and have played a lot of live shows to establish my comfort zone.

Question: How did your split from the band influence your approach to the new album?

SP: Well, I didn’t have to listen to others as much or follow anyone else’s lead. I’ve never been one to say ‘Play this’ and expect people to comply, so I essentially had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I’m still working and collaborating with others, which is great. Although I’ve performed outside of BNL in several guises, with this it has a different kind of resonance, because previously I might have been playing a part in someone else’s project. This time, I’m in charge.

Question: The song “A New Shore” has an uplifting tone to it. Do you view it as an announcement of your solo career?

SP: I think so. It’s about me moving on and landing in a place that I feel good about. Someone told me the other day that the song is my

‘Solsbury Hill’ and, after listening to Peter Gabriel again, I’d say that’s a great comparison. It’s triumphant and hopeful.

Question: “Entourage” presents a sound unlike much of what you’ve done in the past. What was your inspiration for that?

SP: I thought that because I could do anything I wanted to, Stephen Duffy and I would create a Bossa Nova vibe reminiscent of Trevor Horn’s production work with Frankie Goes to Hollywood. We share a lot of the same sonic influences, so it was easy putting everything together.

Question: The track “Over Joy” begins with such a vibrant guitar sound yet deals with downbeat subject matter. How did that juxtaposition come about?

SP: I like combining a dark lyric with a sprightly melody, so I see it as a sequel to ‘Brian Wilson’ in that sense. I’ve dealt with depression my whole life and it kind of comes and goes. I don’t enjoy it, but I also don’t wallow in it either. I’ve always loved ploppy, toe-tapping music and this song illustrates that idea perfectly.

Question: What about the song “Queen of America?”

SP: I wanted to create an up-tempo Bowie song and this is how it took shape. It’s like my gay disco tune, because I’ve always been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys and decided to write about the co-opting of gay culture by straight culture.

Question: Who were some of your influences throughout the writing/recording process?

SP: I’m really into The Mountain Goats and their focus on detailed lyrics that cause you visualize the story. I also listened to a lot of Scott Walker.

SP: There are a lot of people I’d like to work with. It’s difficult, because you can’t just call someone up and say ‘Hey, we should collaborate on something’ for fear that they might not think your stuff is all that great. I would love to get the chance to work or even sing backup for Paul McCartney.

Question: What can fans expect in terms of BNL classics in concert?

SP: I’ll be playing a lot of the songs that I sang lead on like ‘Brian Wilson,’ ‘Jane,’ ‘The Old Apartment’ and ‘Call and Answer.’ We’ll even break out some deeper cuts that haven’t been played in a while.

Question: Do you still enjoy playing those songs?

SP: I do. My band and I have rearranged a lot of them to enhance their freshness, so it’s been fun revisiting some of my earlier work.

The Social Network

2010-10-21T13:33:00.003-04:00

David Fincher’s “The Social Network” begins with a searing exchange in which Harvard wonder boy Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) uses algorithmic methods to explain to his “girlfriend” why their relationship is no longer a viable institution. I put “girlfriend” in quotations, because she appears to exist solely as way for Mark to gain access to a forbidden circle that he would otherwise have no chance at experiencing. His desire for inclusion, his megalomaniacal drive to be accepted by everyone creates an intellectual island on which he’s forced to dwell and, as screenwriter Aaron Sorkin tells it, Mark wouldn’t have it any other way. He carries around so much pretentious antagonism that any connection to another human being is negated by his notion of virtual supremacy being just a little bit cooler, thus beginning the horror story of Facebook as we know it.

Eisenberg gives us a captivating, ice-in-the-veins take on a character who most people know as “the youngest billionaire in the world” but, if we’re to believe Sorkin, money was the furthest thing from Zuckerberg’s mind. Sure, greed played a role, but not in the Gordon Gekko sense we’re accustomed to. What Zuckerberg was really after was a way to circumvent the exclusion-based tradition of high society by bringing the party scene to the masses and his casual dismissal of anyone willing to help is what I found to be the most engaging dichotomy at work here. Rather than assimilate the old-fashioned way, he decided to blow the whole thing open as a way of getting back at the clubs he once deemed important and, as a result, the so-called cyber villain of our times was born.

Did he steal the idea from his Harvard classmates? Did he use, chew up and spit out the only person left in the world whom he could call a friend? Is he really as insufferable a person as the film makes him out to be?

Perhaps, but counting on Sorkin’s script to be 100% accurate is missing the point. He taps into the zeitgeist of Generation Y like no other American film I’ve seen this year and does so with a sparkling immediacy worthy of so much more than just Academy Award attention. Facebook currently sits at 500 Million members and counting and the line between living and living vicariously through a computerized network becomes fuzzier with each passing second.

Fincher’s direction and tone are sublime, Trent Reznor’s wicked musical arrangements couldn’t be better and Spider-Man-to-be Andrew Garfield gives what I think is the most painfully brilliant performance of the entire film as Mark’s one-time friend and CFO Eduardo Saverin.

The sweet irony of all this is that, despite all the money and fame, Zuckerberg ends up alienating himself from exactly the kind of social mingling he always wanted. Instead, what we see is a man and his computer, side by side, for better or for worse until the bitter conclusion. I almost felt sorry for him at the end but, then again, it wasn't my 34% ownership that he was accused of liquidating.

- **** out of 4

The Black Keys are a dynamic rock duo

2010-10-21T13:24:00.006-04:00

If someone started an endangered species list for rock bands, I’m convinced that Akron, Ohio’s own The Black Keys would find a place near the top. I say that because, walking out of their recent set at Town Ballroom, I couldn’t help but feel as if I had just witnessed a dying breed among today’s barren musical terrain. Here was a voraciously tight duo whose melodic flavor blended the lush vocal inflection of 70s soul with the turbulent, all-or-nothing stage presence of Nirvana to create the type of visceral garage rock many critics thought had disappeared with the onset of the new millennium.

Vocalist/Guitarist Dan Auerbach plays a distortion-heavy brand of blues that oozes with raw sensuality and drummer Patrick Carney attacks the skins like it’s the last time he’ll ever set foot on the stage, so they’ve taken a minimalist formula and fashioned it into something the mainstream finally deems worthy of praise.

Their latest album, “Brothers,” has become a critical darling as of late and the hit single “Tighten Up” has led the once-relevant Vh1 to jump all over it like they’ve been on-board from the beginning.

I suppose grossly overdue attention is better than none at all, but perhaps The Black Keys are better off averting the whirlwind that is commercial manipulation. Maybe their claim to fame lies in modest concert halls where they can polish their skills, engage fans and save the music from being robbed of its authenticity by a suit who believes Justin Bieber represents the future of the industry.

On that note, what I really wanted to do here is pay homage to past two-piece bands that have made the type of mark on the scene that The Black Keys are on their way to making. I’ll give my list with hopes that you’ll fill in the blanks with your own favorites, so let’s see what you got.

No genre is off limits.

Simon and Garfunkel

Steely Dan

The White Stripes

Hall and Oates

The Ting Tings

Outkast

The Righteous Brothers

Daft Punk

New Medicine living it up on Uproar Tour

2010-08-24T15:32:00.003-04:00

New Medicine's forthcoming debut album is titled "Race You to the Bottom" but, if their presence on the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival is any indication, the Minneapolis-bred rock quartet could be headed straight to the top. Their combination of sweeping guitar licks and emotionally disrobed songwriting evokes the breakneck oomph of early 80s punk bands and is sure to have fans at every stop banging their head to the beat.

For lead vocalist Jake Scherer, the band's message is all in its name.

"Everybody has a different medicine—whether it's coffee, drugs, alcohol or cigarettes," says Scherer. "When I was growing up, music was the only medicine I needed. If I was really bummed out about something, I'd put a record on and it'd cheer me up. Music's the ultimate healer."

I caught up with Scherer and bassist Matthew Brady prior to their show at Darien Lake on Sunday to discuss the genesis of the band and how they're enjoying their time under the Uproar spotlight.

Question: How did you guys begin playing together?

Scherer: Well, we all went to middle school together and played in different bands together. Different members, different bands, but we kind of created a hybrid of all our friends' bands. Like I said, Dan (lead guitarist) and I went to school together and have known each other forever, so we decided to start a band and everything clicked right off the bat.

Brady: Yeah, we were friends first you know and that made it a whole lot easier to get the music together. We had that chemistry and that base.

Scherer: We knew we all wanted to take over the world, so we had the same great mentality.

Question: How did growing up in Minneapolis affect your musical direction?

Brady: That's a great question. You know, Minneapolis has such a great, diverse base of music. Everything from rock to hip-hop. Alternative bands are really great. You have the history of artists like Bob Dylan, The Replacements, The Jayhawks, Hüsker Dü and Soul Asylum. All those different bands have built the city into a place that nurtures young bands. Venues to play, people to come out and see you. Everybody treats each other well you know. There's no backstabbing element. Everybody's happy for one another, so it's really cool.

Question: Who were some of your influences growing up?

Scherer: When I was 13, I started writing songs and Kurt Cobain was my favorite artist at the time. Nirvana is still one of my favorite bands to this day. I loved the way they played and the songs they wrote.

Brady: I grew up listening to punk rock bands like The Descendants, Black Flag and Propagandhi. Stylistically, that scene had a lot of influence on the way I play and the elements I bring to the band.

Question: What song on the upcoming album are you most proud of?

Brady: I think we're most proud of our new single called "Little Sister." It's a song about Jake's sister who died when she was young and it memorializes her. It kind of explores the idea that if she was here today she'd be 18 years old and how would she have impacted Jake's life. For Jake and for all of us, we're glad it turned out so well.

Question: I read that you guys had more than 100 songs prepared. How did you decide what made it onto the album?

Scherer: We just wanted to narrow it down. We wanted to have the best songs possible on it so, if someone said 'This is a good song, we would say 'Well, this is a great song,' because we wanted to make it work. I think we came up with the best 11 songs for the album.

Question: What type of guitars do you play?

Brady: I play a lefty Mexican jazz bass that covered in about 5,000 stickers, so it's hardly recognizable. It's got a lot of heart in it.

Scherer: I play a Gibson Les Paul as well as a Fender Telecaster.

Question: I know the tour has just begun, but what has been the best part of it so far?

Scherer: The catering has been pretty awesome.

Brady: Yeah, the catering has been great. It's cool having the ability to hang at the merch tent as soon as we get finished playing and sign posters for anyone who comes by. We really get an opportunity to meet everyone out here that wants to come over and say 'Hi' and we love to do that. We're sociable people, so we're having a great time.

"Race You to the Bottom" hits stores on September 28.

www.myspace.com/newmedicine

rockstaruproar.com

Public Enemy 'brings the noize' to town ballroom

2010-08-15T15:55:00.002-04:00

"I think a lot of white bands miss the point of rock 'n' roll. But when you hear Public Enemy it suddenly comes back to life." – Mick Hucknall (1989)

On a night when The Black Eyed Peas brought their traveling pop circus to HSBC Arena, hip-hop luminaries Public Enemy (PE) took the Town Ballroom stage with a vengeance to continue the socio-musical revolution they began more than 20 years ago and, as always, it was not televised.

All the glitz, avarice and blatant misogyny that have defined the genre as of late were annihilated as Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and DJ Lord treated their fans to an all-out lyrical assault aimed at everything from racial separatism to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

Those who missed it may wish that it had been on TV, because they would've been able to ascertain just how transcendent the art of rap music can be when firing on all cerebral cylinders.

Opening with the intoxicating flow of "Contract on the World Love Jam," PE turned up the heat with a string of classic jams including "Brothers Gonna Work it Out," "Bring the Noize," "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Welcome to the Terrordome" while fist-pumping their way into the souls of anyone willing to listen.

The finesse with which Chuck D rattles off rhyme after animated rhyme should urge aspiring rappers to cling to their day jobs, because he's constantly pushing the limits of what the human larynx is capable of.

Whether it was his eerie modulation on "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" or the possessed A cappella take on "By the Time I Get to Arizona," he appeared determined to make these songs blossom as if we were hearing them for the first time.

Say what you will about Flavor Flav's notorious "Flavor of Love" exploits, but the aptitude and unbridled enthusiasm he adds to the PE repertoire makes for an unforgettable concert experience. A naturally gifted entertainer, Flavor is the jester to Chuck's no-nonsense straight man and songs such as "911 is a Joke" and "Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man" gave him a chance to show people what he's all about.

I equate PE's dynamic duo of emcees as the Lennon/McCartney of hip-hop in the sense that their convergence of talent ignites the stage like few musical combinations ever have. Not bad for a group of guys who have eclipsed the 50 year mark in age.

Professor Griff, leader of the S1Ws and, as a fan's sign read, "The Professor of Truth," laid the question of age to rest rather quickly by performing 10 one-armed push-ups in the middle of the stage thus solidifying one of the most energetic shows I've ever attended.

Now, one would think that the evening would conclude with a raucous delivery of their 1989 anthem "Fight the Power" (which Chuck D himself told me "speaks for itself), but they just weren't ready to leave yet. "She Watch Channel Zero," "Night of the Living Baseheads," Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and even a Flavor Flav drum solo all made appearances to ensure that the audience didn't go home disappointed.

What separates PE from other mainstream acts is that they live, breathe and believe their radical philosophy so soundly that they're willing to set aside time at the end of every show to speak out against whatever topic is currently causing a stir.

On this night, Flavor Flav took the reins and spoke from the clock about how racism is destroying the country from within. I was touched and, judging from the applause, everyone else in the room was as well.

People often question the direction of hip-hop in 2010 but, as long as Public Enemy is around to "Say It Like It Really Is," I think the genre will be just fine.

An interview with Chuck D

2010-08-03T11:54:00.000-04:00

In the liner notes of Public Enemy’s 1990 tour de force “Fear of a Black Planet,” Chuck D. is referred to as “The Lyrical Terrorist” and 30 seconds of “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” is all one needs to see why he’s earned that menacing distinction. His ideas are subversive, his lyrics are abrasive and his stone cold baritone strikes fear into the hearts and minds of Reagan Conservatives from Buffalo to Wasilla. While commercial radio was being dominated by the innocuous melodies of Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston, he came along with an authentic barrage of Black militancy that used intelligent rhymes as its main source of artistic sustenance. At its peak, Public Enemy was a politically charged Afrocentric alternative for those left wondering why the triumphs of the 1964 Civil Rights Act felt like a distant memory.

With a little over a week until Public Enemy invades Buffalo’s Town Ballroom to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Black Planet,” I had the opportunity to speak with Chuck D. about all things hip-hop and even get his take on a few inflammatory issues currently facing the country at-large.

Question: Before we get started, I’d just like to say that I’m a huge fan and it’s a pleasure to talk with you.

Chuck D: It’s a pleasure talking with you.

Question: It’s been a long time since Public Enemy has played Buffalo. What can fans expect this time around?

Chuck D: They can expect a classic show. We’re calling this outing the “Fear of a Black Plan” tour and we’re ready to bring energy back into live performance. We have a great group called The Impossebulls opening up and they’re the first organic hip-hop group of the new millennium. DJ Lord has replaced Terminator X (retired in 2003), but it’s been a long and great tour and we’re gonna bring it hard.

Question: How has Public Enemy changed in the absence of Terminator X?

Chuck D: Well, we’ve added a guitarist and a drummer and are able extend songs within a live setting, which we didn’t do before. The idea for that actually came from playing with The Roots a while back, so it’s a great changeup for the group.

Question: You wrote “By the Time I Get to Arizona” in 1991 as a response to the Governor’s campaign to stop celebrating Martin Luther King Day. Did you ever think Arizona would again be at the center of controversy 20 years later?

Chuck D: (Laughing) Nobody can predict the future, but I can’t say that I’m surprised by what’s happened as of late. I think a lot of the problems stem from paranoia and fear of brown people, which somehow justifies the white man to take land that wasn’t his to begin with. Everyone talks about how the illegal immigrants are the problem, but I think having a policy on human beings is just fucked up and a way to divert peoples’ attention away from real threats.

Question: Which are?

Chuck D: Media, Government, Ignorance. Just because we have a Black president doesn’t mean everything is perfect. There’s still a lot of work to be done.

Question: What do you think about professional athletes threatening to boycott events held in Arizona?

Chuck D: Athletes need to look out for themselves and not allow outside interests to control them. Growing up, my heroes were guys like Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson and Jim Brown. They made an impact on their own terms. Roberto Clemente would be rolling over in his grave if he could see how Black athletes are being treated these days. The Black athlete is the silent slave of the new millennium and you can quote me on that.

Question: It’s been 20 years since “Fear of a Black Planet” was released. How do you think the album’s themes have evolved through the years?

Chuck D: Before the Internet, the only news we had was what we saw on television and that album was our way of articulating life as we saw it. Songs like “Pollywanacraka” and “Burn Hollywood Burn” reflected issues that mainstream media didn’t think twice about. You guys up in Buffalo should be familiar with government not looking out for the people. At one time, Buffalo had the Erie Canal and other shipping industries to provide jobs, but now the market has evaporated and left a gaping hole in the city. There’s not a job worth beans. The media has a lot to do with it. When MTV is putting forth an image of South Beach as the place to be, why would people want to move to fuckin’ Schenectady? The bottom line is people like to migrate and move on, because they need housing that is super affordable. Look at the BP oil spill. People see the CEO getting multi-million dollar bonuses for fucking everything up and they get upset.

Question: What’s your opinion on the state of hip-hop today?

Chuck D: I think hip-hop is in a good place. Even though the record business is failing, you still have a rich and diverse array of artists that are getting out and learning the business. Today, bands need the opportunity to succeed on both a local and global level and there’s no excuse for not understanding how the system works. Regardless of what you believe, there’s an audience out there somewhere and artists have to find a way to tap into that. No longer are fans just numbers. I’ve been in the business for 25 years and it irks me every time I see rappers who get into the game without knowing how it works. Listen David, the cheapest price you can pay in today’s society is attention and people need to understand that.

Question: Lastly, what were your expectations for hiphopgods.com when it began?

Chuck D: I wanted to create a home for classic artists that may not get the attention they deserve. I was inspired by classic rock and artists like Fats Domino, so I felt that modern hip-hop artists needed a place to go where they could learn about all the great artists of the past. I wanted other classic artists to know that their time is not over and that they’re still a major piece of the picture.

2010 Summer Movie Catch-Up

2010-07-27T17:00:00.004-04:00

As much as I love engaging in profound cinematic analysis, I decided to give readers a break this time around by trimming my reviews down to a few pointed sentences. My latest GERD attack has landed me on the Physically Unable to Perform List and, to be honest, I’m not particularly fond of writing marathon-esque reviews at this point in time.

Then again, few of the films we’ve experienced this summer are worth exhausting that kind of effort over, so it’s a win-win for all tomorrow’s parties.

Let’s dig in:

“Iron Man 2” – Robert Downey Jr. reinvented himself in 2008 as free-spirited playboy/munitions guru Tony Stark but, in 2010, he’s subject to an overstuffed script that loses steam once Stark dons the Iron Man garb. You know your film is in trouble when the lead character is more engaging without the bloated hullabaloo that most superhero films pride themselves on and Downey’s sparkling wit is an inopportune casualty.

Every time he and Gwyneth Paltrow begin to elevate the material to a level worth admiring, another vacant battle scene comes along to ruin what could be a pretty snappy action-comedy. I’m reminded of the 1986 Tesla album “Mechanical Resonance,” because that’s really all that results from the 124-minute running time. Machines outweigh emotions and all the audience can do is look ahead with apprehension to 2012’s Iron Man 3. The additions of Sam Rockwell (scene-stealing), Scarlett Johansson (insatiably feisty) and Mickey Rourke (having a blast) make waves, but not enough to make this sequel rise above its apparent lack of flavor.

- ** ½ out of 4

“Robin Hood” – If someone told you that Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Ridley Scott would be spearheading a project based on the merry exploits of Robin of Loxley, you’d be psyched right? I know I was upon first word, but the finished product touts about as much excitement as Sunday at the US Open sans Tiger Woods. Everything that should be oozing with jingoistic friction is victimized by a script that lumbers along at a snail’s pace and leaves the performers floundering in a sea of historical inertia. As much as I loved seeing Blanchett on screen after a year layoff, not even the radiant chemistry she has with Crowe is enough to make me eager for a return to Sherwood Forest.

- ** out of 4

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” – Perhaps my expectations were low or maybe I was simply in high spirits, but I found this harmless video game adaptation to be a rousing way to spend an afternoon at the cinema. Director Mike Newell strings along one hokey action scene after another yet the dedication of Jake Gyllenhaal and the hammy wisecracking of Alfred Molina are more than enough to bring a smile to my face. If inclined, you could read the plot as a jumbled metaphor for America’s current Middle Eastern oil predicament, but you’re better off just enjoying the action and marveling at how stunning Gemma Arterton looks in parachute pants.

- *** out of 4

“The Karate Kid” - What strikes me most about the Jaden Smith-led remake of “The Karate Kid” is its splendid use of Beijing, China as a backdrop for the story. Instead of reducing the host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to a highly-polluted foreign network, director Harald Zwart puts the viewer directly in the heart of a city in which people work and play just like any other that American audiences are accustomed to seeing. Not only does Dre (Smith) have to adapt to a change in scenery, but he must also find a way to coexist with a group of bullies out to sour his welcome and the original storyline follows from there. Smith is impressive with his cornrowed charisma and Jackie Chan does the whole solemn widower bit well, but Taraji P. Henson provides the movie with the requisite sensitivity to complete the triangle. It’s a definite crowd pleaser.

- *** ½ out of 4

“Toy Story 3” – Is it smart, funny, sad or moving? How about all four? In one of the best films of the year so far, Pixar continues the story of Andy and his bedroom of misfit toys with a jaunt that is guaranteed to melt the hearts of audiences worldwide. Because many of the children who grew up with the first film are now in college, the fact that Andy is also going off to school may bring some added drama to a tearful yet ultimately ebullient celebration of growing up.

- **** out of 4

“Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage” – If you saw John Hamburg’s brilliant 2009 bromedy “I Love You Man,” you’ll recall the scene in which Paul Rudd and Jason Segel jam at a Rush concert while Rudd’s fiancée played by Rashida Jones looks on with a mystifying stare. Sadly, Jones’s reaction is echoed by a section of the public that doesn’t “get” why Rush is such an amazing musical outfit. This documentary explores the origin of the band’s mainstream disconnect as well as how others in the industry have been influenced by their sonic sound qualities and I couldn’t get enough.

- **** out of 4

“Greenberg” – Noah Baumbach’s third feature is being marketed as “Ben Stiller like you’ve never seen him before,” but it’s really so much more than that. Yes, it’s about a 40-year-old Jewish misanthrope who spends his days writing complaint letters to corporations that don’t live up to his standards, but Stiller’s subtle nuances play off Greta Gerwig’s train-wreck vulnerability beautifully. My guess is most people will hate this film without giving it a fair shake, but everything about it works and works to indie-film perfection.

- **** out of 4

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – I don’t know why everyone in Hollywood is clamoring for an Americanized remake of this risqué Swedish gem, because Niels Arden Oplev’s version stands alone as an incisive piece of entertainment. Noomi Rapace turns in one of the best performances of the year as Lisbeth Salander and draws you into her tormented past as easy as she bypasses any computer firewall that comes her way. The content is rough, the violence is said to be borderline misogynistic (I disagree) and it’s subtitled, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

- *** ½ out of 4

“Dogtooth” – This small, demented Greek film is exactly the type of project that the term “Art House” is made for. You watch it, you have no idea what it all means and then you walk out of it thinking that the entire setup was a stroke of genius on the part of director Yorgos Lanthimos. Watching these three teenagers go through their father’s unorthodox homeschooling is taxing at times, but I assure you the reward is worth your investment.

- **** out of 4

Coming Soon: “Inception” – I’ve seen it, but I’m going to need more than a few sentences to get a handle on it.

If you were any nicer, you wouldn't exist...

2010-07-12T09:42:00.002-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I come before you tonight in search of answers. I come before you tonight as a man seeking to decipher the labyrinthine inner workings of the female psyche and, with any luck, reach a tentative conclusion as to why women love assholes. Spend 10 minutes walking around any of the area’s outdoor festivals this summer and you’ll get a sense of where I’m coming from.

I’m convinced that this phenomenon has existed since the beginning of time, so why not devote a little time to exploring why?

After a year spent meandering through the shallow, vapid wasteland known as Internet dating, I’ve come to the conclusion that being called “nice” is the single most devastating compliment that can be bestowed upon a member of the human race. Think about it. When someone says “That’s nice,” they’re really just dancing around the negative energy that simmers below their pseudo-friendly exterior. They avoid confrontation in the name of common courtesy yet, deep down; they couldn’t care less about whatever it is you’re talking about.

Relationships are no different. When a woman says “You’re such a nice guy,” what she’s actually saying is that you’ll suffice until the “cool” guy gets here. All of the chemistry and sparkling rapport you’ve spent hours cultivating is nothing more than a smoke screen designed to let you down easy once a “real” man becomes mindful of her existence. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cosmic conversationalist or the poster child for feminine understanding and respect, because you’ll never be what Elaine Benes would call “sponge-worthy.”

Are women lying when they express their desire to find a genuine guy? Do they have some unexplained biological imperative that attracts them to guys who swear and wear tight shirts?

I don’t pretend to have a definitive response to either of those questions, but experience has led me to believe that nice guys have to exert twice as much effort just to have a chance with women deemed universally attractive.

When discussing the Sunset Strip of the 1980s, director Penelope Spheeris speculates that certain women derive arousal through sexual discrimination and I can’t help but think she might be onto something. Women literally threw themselves at every drug-addled, disease-infested rock star that crossed their path and wore the misogynistic overtones of the scene like a badge. They were objectified on a daily basis yet never seemed to get enough public humiliation to eradicate their delusions of grandeur.

Of course, I use the Strip as an extreme example of how “nice” guys are no match for the allure of “bad boy” rockers, but the general idea is very much in play.

If you’re still reading, you may be under the impression that I’m complaining about this sorry state of affairs, but that’s not the case at all. To say I’m complaining would be to imply that I somehow wish to pull a John Kerry and flip-flop my way over to the dark side. We both know that will never happen.

If anything, this is a rallying cry for guys who still cringe when thinking about how Laura chose Ted over Steve on “Family Matters.” Granted, she did end up marrying Steve in the show’s final season, but only after she realized the error of her ways. Maybe that’s it. Maybe certain physically stunning yet annoyingly self-important women feel that they’ll have us “nice” guys to fall back on in the event that their other relationships don’t pan out.

Think of it like that scene in the Howard Deutch classic “Pretty in Pink” when Duckie (Jon Cryer) tells Andie (Molly Ringwald) that he’ll no longer be around to offer unrequited emotional support. That’s what we’ve come to as a society. External beauty and materialism have overtaken intelligence and authenticity in the center stage of a relationship and the “nice” guys are the odd men out on all fronts.

Once again, these are just the astute observations of someone trying to get a handle on the world as we know it, so consider it an ongoing dilemma with no end in sight.

2010 Molson Canal Concert Series

2010-06-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

The lineup for the 2010 Molson Canal Concert Series is the musical equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner.

Some of the acts you love, some you hate and others will have to appeal to you when the time comes to get down to business. City of Lockport mayor Michael Tucker has stated publicly that this is the "best year yet," but I have a feeling that not everyone is as smitten with the current crop of musicians. I'll admit that I wasn't sold at first glance, so consider this an opportunity to let the organizers know how you feel.

Is it wrong to complain about a free concert series? Perhaps, but I don't think it's out of line to demand a lineup that doesn't scream of convenience and desperation.

What do you think?

June 25 - Rusted Root - They've become a staple of the outdoor summer concert season and always put on a rousing set of freewheeling jam tunes, but they're what I would call a safe pick.

July 2 - Our Lady Peace - I'm one of the biggest OLP fans around, so I have no problem bringing them back for a second year. As always, get there early and go easy on the liquids.

July 9 - Gretchen Wilson - WNY's growing Country scene will be all over this one

July 16 - Three Dog Night - Without vocalist Chuck Negron, something just feels incomplete.

July 23 - Blues Traveler - You can't go wrong with John Popper and Co. at their best

July 30 - Rik Emmett - He's still a dynamic axeman but, once again, he plays the area every year and offers few surprises.

Aug 6 - Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind" still pack an emotional punch

Aug 13 - Tears For Fears - 1985, sure, but 2010? Really?

Aug 20 - Big Sugar - The Canadian blues-rockers just reunited and, in my opinion, will deliver the finest show of the series.

Three Days Grace headlines diverse springfest

2010-06-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

For me, the University at Buffalo’s Springfest 2010 was literally a last-minute audible.

I awoke the morning of the show and decided that six hours of listening to one of the most anomalous lineups in recent memory would be an inspired way to spend my Saturday night.

I mean, can anyone really argue with a $35 ticket price for an event that could have easily been held in a 20,000-seat arena for twice as much? I didn’t think so.

The fact that the headliner was Canadian alt-rock group Three Days Grace didn’t hurt either so, even if the other acts turned out to be complete rubbish, the evening would’ve still been deemed a success.

Los Angeles-based folk trio Lady Danville took the stage first and offered the crowd a collection of modest, uplifting “road” tunes that screamed of what writer David St. John would call a “West Coast sensibility” of freedom and permission. Imagine that you’re driving on a serene summer day with the windows ajar listening to Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California” and you’ll get idea of the laid-back groove I’m talking about.

Guitarist Daniel Chang displayed intricate finger-picking and the vocal harmonies were sublime, but I feel the music’s charm may have been lost on those expecting a hardcore rock show.

Luckily (or not), Florida’s own Anberlin was around to quench their thirst for frantically uneven pop-rock that doesn’t assert itself as being anything special.

Lead vocalist Stephen Christian sings at a pitch reserved for the helium-induced wailing of every emo band this side of Panic! At the Disco, but does so over riffs more suited for grunge than whatever category they happen to fall into. Odd stuff indeed, but it was certainly a spirited effort and no one can take that away from them.

Then it was onto N.E.R.D, a Pharrell Williams-led rap-funk outfit that made up for in funkadelic pizzazz what they lacked in lyrical poignancy.

Williams himself announced this portion of the evening to be “a celebration of the beautiful female” and later cemented that notion by bringing female audience members up on stage for a little Pharrell-style dance off.

The band played an inspired fusion of rock, rap and funk carried by dual drummers who were the real stars of the show, but I can’t say that I’d rush out to buy the record.

Three Days Grace took the stage to what felt like an empty arena and proceeded to play an explosive ninety minutes of alt-rock that didn’t miss a beat in terms of loyalty to the recorded material.

“Break,” “The Good Life” and “Pain” set the mood while lighter tunes like “Last to Know” and Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” brought the emotional depth vocalist Adam Gontier is so skilled at divulging. They put on a sizable arena show with pyrotechnics and all for an audience of which less than half appeared to be familiar with the band’s work so, for that, I applaud them.

Getting a little country with Ransomville

2010-04-03T10:15:00.001-04:00

When The Buffalo News unleashed its list of ‘Bands to Watch’ in 2009, burgeoning Country-rock outfit Ransomville was notably absent from the proceedings. Despite opening for the likes of James Otto, Charlie Daniels and David Allan Coe, this fiery quintet with energy to burn couldn’t fight their way into mainstream consciousness. They had the look, urgency and appetizingly antithetical sound to separate them from the pack but, for some reason, local media didn’t want to bite.

To put it mildly, the idea of their brand being anything but your grandmother’s Country music has positioned them in a realm void of trite classification and old-school sticklers just can’t have that.

About halfway through their set at Club Paradise in Blasdell on Saturday, I experienced what Jules Winnfield of “Pulp Fiction” would refer to as a “moment of clarity.” As someone who has never been particularly fond of Country music in any way, shape or form, I came to the realization that the genre once defined by whiny relationship yarns and small-town axioms doesn’t have to suck. What these guys brought to the table is a reminder that no matter how banal a scene appears to be, all it takes is one ambitious young band to come along and inject the industry with a much-needed sense of direction.

Ransomville consists of lead vocalist Dan McClurg, guitarists Rob Burgio and John Rosini (both formerly of Seven Day Faith), bassist Josh Long and drummer Johnny Misso. I had the opportunity to speak with the guys prior to Saturday’s show and found their humility to be most engaging as they plowed through whatever questions came their way.

Although it was only 12 minutes, I got the sense that if they continue down their current path, they could easily find themselves in the thick of things come late 2010.

Then again, don’t take my word for it. Here’s what they had to say:

Question: How did you guys decide on the name Ransomville?

Burgio: I think it was the phrase “held for ransom” that initially drew our attention and we threw ‘ville’ behind it to make it sound country, because that’s what we are. It has nothing to do with the town of the same name as none of us are from there, so we just thought it sounded Country-rock and stuck with it.

Question: What are some of your major influences?

Rosini: Anything from 80s hair bands and classic rock to my earlier involvement with the pop scene.

McClurg: I grew up with more traditional Country artists like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, but I also enjoy modern acts like Kenny Chesney.

Burgio: We’re not trying to do this or that. We’re just trying to write a good song and we have a very Country vocalist so, no matter what we do, it’s going to sound Country.

Question: How do you think being in Western New York has impacted your ability to make it within the Country scene?

Burgio: So far, so good. The good thing is that we’re one of the only original Country bands around that pushes their own music and prints their own records. A lot of bands appear to be focusing on covering Country, which is great, but our aim has always been we’ll do our own music and then add a few covers along the way. We stick to the integrity of what we do and everything else is secondary. Luckily, the response has been unbelievable. Our fan base is growing, the CDs are selling, it’s great. Of all the bands I’ve been in, it’s amazing how rapidly people are attaching themselves and wanting to help us out.

Misso: We have heavy rock fans that are into this band. People from all genres of music are calling us saying ‘I love your stuff and I don’t even like Country.’

Burgio: Yeah, I mean all throughout Wyoming County we’re building a strong following and every show gets busier and busier. Dan’s from there, so they already know him as a vocalist and putting him together with our band has been terrific.

McClurg: From what I’ve seen, people love the screaming guitars and intricate soloing so, if we throw a strong Country lyric on top of that, you can’t beat us.

Question: Where do you get your main inspiration for songwriting?

Burgio: Women. I know it sounds cliché as hell, but it really is that simple.

McClurg: I think one of my goals is to acknowledge the people fighting overseas because, if it weren’t for them, some of us may be drafted out right now.

Burgio: We didn’t finish the CD and say we’re done. We continued to write while the record was being finished and I truly believe our songwriting can come from anything. We’re looking for a label to come in with some money and guidance to bring out the best we have to offer.

Question: Would you say the crowds have been more male or female?

Burgio: It’s a good mix with different age groups as well. I mean, we’ve seen an 80-year-old grandma out there having a good time, so it’s certainly a variety.

Question: Are there any mainstream bands that you look at and say “We’re just as good as they are?” If so, what are they?

Burgio: You have artists like Jack Ingram, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean, but not too many bands. That’s what I grew up with, that’s what I live for. I think the industry is screaming for a real band to come out that has personality and can connect itself to the audience.

Rosini: There really aren’t too many bands at the moment. You have Rascal Flatts, but they’re a trio and we’re actually a rock band.

Burgio: There’s no doubt in my mind that we can hang with anybody.

Megadeth celebrates 20th anniversary of Rust in Peace

2010-04-03T10:12:00.000-04:00

Heavy Metal fans are a resilient bunch.

They attend the shows, buy/download the albums and wholeheartedly embrace the preservationist philosophy that makes the genre so alluring. Mainstream society has labeled them barbaric man-children searching for an excuse to be violent, but they have channeled their marginalized status into a rallying cry hell-bent on furthering the “us vs. them” mentality.

They’ve endured deaths, congressional hearings and the arrival of Grunge only to emerge stronger and more aware of just how threatened the public is by an alternative worldview. If Rock and Roll is about sticking it to the “man,” then metal is about sticking it not only to the man, but anyone who has ever told you to keep your mouth shut.

For those of you out there who still look down upon Heavy Metal as nothing more than noxiously feral clamor with little social significance, allow me to present last Saturday’s concert featuring Megadeth, Testament and Exodus as exhibit A for how off-base general perceptions have become. Few bands would’ve been able to keep up with the physically demanding tempo of the evening’s material and the fact that most of the members are closing in on 50 makes it that much easier to applaud. It was a fan’s paradise and the bands rewarded them in every way imaginable.

First up was Exodus and they proceeded to filter out any lingering notions that it was going to be a tranquil event when singer Rob Dukes refused to get started until the pits were open for business. The crowd was up to the challenge, so the set was marked by screeching vocals and a “Gangs of New York”-esque wall of death in which the audience charges into each other hoping to achieve the ultimate metal high.

I’ll admit that I didn’t know too much about Exodus other than they were Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s original group, so the music didn’t quite resonate with me the way I’d hoped. They seemed content to cater to the die-hards while ignoring any potential converts and, if I were to assign an epitaph to this portion of the show, it would read “I survived the circle pit and all I got was this mildly engaging set form Exodus.”

After about 45 minutes of rising energy levels, Testament took the stage to perform their 1987 debut “Legacy” in its entirety and reminded me of why I love this music in the first place.

Vocalist Chuck Billy is such a killer showman that, at times, it felt as if they had three guitar players, because he was using the microphone stand to echo whatever frenetic solo lead guitarist Eric Peterson happened to be busting out at the time. His voice was fresh, controlled and primal to the point that his 2001 cancer scare is but a distant memory as every breath injected just the right amount of passion into each song.

Classics such as “Do or Die,” “Alone in the Dark” and “Apocalyptic City” displayed exemplary execution and, judging from the raucous ovation, still sound as menacing as they did 23 years ago. I was curious about how the absence of virtuoso Alex Skolnick (currently touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra) would affect the album’s punch, but the rest of the guys compensated nicely and delivered it with the rebellious flair we’ve come to expect.

As for the main attraction, if you consider Metallica to be The Beatles of thrash metal, then Megadeth is undoubtedly The Rolling Stones. They have the speed, intelligence, versatility and all-around adversarial attitude to keep churning out tunes as long as Dave Mustaine’s ego will let them.

From the opening note of “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due,” Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover exploded onto the Town Ballroom stage determined to silence the naysayers once and for all.

I like to think of Megadeth’s oeuvre as a classically-based hybrid that emphasizes intricate arrangements and staccato notes the same way a symphony from Beethoven or Mozart would which, to me, speaks to how complex their material really is. Watching them tackle songs such as “Take No Prisoners” and “Tornado of Souls” in a live setting is an adrenaline rush unlike any I’ve experienced at a concert and the fluidity with which Mustaine and Broderick tear through the riffs is metal at its finest. Having Ellefson reunite with the band a little over a month ago only added to the excitement, so any fan that missed out on this one should make an attempt to catch them in Toronto on July 29 to see “Rust in Peace” the way it was meant to be. You won’t be disappointed.

Not that it means anything, but I overheard some guys on the subway talking about how Megadeth's 90-minute set was beyond what Metallica brought to HSBC Arena back in October 2009.

I'm just saying...

.

The Best Films of the Decade - Complete List

2010-01-12T16:50:00.002-05:00

Although I was pleased with my list, I feel as if I may have rushed things a bit and left out certain titles that I really love. It's impossible to please everyone but, in the interest of closure, I decided to compose a list of films that I feel defined that last decade.

This should provide a well-rounded glimpse into what the '00s were all about. If your favorites still aren't included, please forgive me and remember that the ranking system is entirely arbitrary. If someone can explain how #7 is better than #9, I'd love to hear it.

My aim with this list is to urge you check out films that you haven't heard of and re-watch ones that get better with age, so enjoy.

Mulholland Drive
Almost Famous
High Fidelity
Memento
Zodiac
There Will Be Blood
25th Hour
Amores Perros
Requiem For a Dream
Oldboy
Sideways
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
I'm Not There
Into the Wild
Munich
Syriana
Capturing the Friedmans
A History of Violence
Eastern Promises
Once
The Dark Knight
The Wrestler
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
The Departed
United 93
A Serious Man
Pan's Labyrinth
Lost in Translation
Rachel Getting Married
The Squid and the Whale
Grizzly Man
Michael Clayton
Good Night and Good Luck
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Match Point
Hotel Rwanda
Dogville
You Can Count On Me
Mystic River
Minority Report
Birth
American Splendor
City of God
The Descent
No Country For Old Men
Little Miss Sunshine
Children of Men
The Bourne Trilogy
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Gangs of New York
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Ratatouille
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Persepolis
Jesus Camp
Man on Wire
Signs
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Cache
The Aristocrats
Downfall
The Aviator
The Lives of Others
Traffic
Punch Drunk Love
Notes on a Scandal
Breach
Kill Bill Vols. 1 + 2

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 11/22/09 Review

2010-01-06T19:51:00.002-05:00

Before diving into last November’s magical evening with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I feel compelled to express my dissatisfaction with the way the entrance into HSBC Arena was handled. I don’t know if it was due to the band’s delay or simply abysmal planning on part of the arena staff, but witnessing 19,000 irate concertgoers trying to pile in all at once surely wasn’t a sight anyone expected to see when the day began.

Much like the tax collectors of the 1700s, I’m convinced that had the architect been in attendance, he would’ve needed a police escort to avoid being hung for crimes against humanity.

It was that chaotic.

Something tells me that The Boss himself would not have approved of huddled masses standing around as if it were a Depression-era shipping yard. I heard plenty of rumblings from people saying they won’t be attending another event so, if the arena cares at all about customer satisfaction, they’ll prevent such bedlam in the future.

As for the show itself, I think it’s destined to go down as one of the most epic live performances in the history of Buffalo music. Everything came together at the exact same moment to remind people how Rock and Roll, at its peak, can provide the type of uncompromising catharsis seldom found in today’s materialistic super-culture.

From the opening line of the rust-belt anthem “Wrecking Ball,” the heart of every female in attendance melted and signaled to the band that for the next three hours, the crowd was their’s for the taking.

Whether it was an improbable crowd surf during “Hungry Heart” or a fuming solo on “Lost in the Flood,” Springsteen patrolled the stage with all the brio and bright-eyed optimism fans have come to expect from the 60-year-old Jersey rocker and the rest of the band matched his energy on every level. When Bruce wanted more, Clarence, Steven, Nils, Roy, Garry, Soozie, Charles, and Max played as if it was the last time they would ever step foot on the stage while giving this reviewer certifiable goose bumps in the process.

Rumor has it that this was indeed the swan song for the E Street Band as we know it, but I don’t buy it for a second. This wasn’t some has-been outfit stumbling to the end with alcohol and mumbled lyrics aplenty. What we saw that night was a storied troupe of musicians at the top of their game, a wild crew of virtuosic trailblazers with obvious unfinished business.

Listening to Bruce wail on Chuck Willis’s “(I Don’t Want to) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes" was a stirring farewell but, given the state of today’s rock scene, let’s hope he’s just getting started.

The Best Films of the Decade

2010-01-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

No need for an introduction, so here they are:

1. "Mulholland Drive" - I like to think of David Lynch's stunning puzzler as a surrealist companion piece to Billy Wilder's 1950 masterpiece "Sunset Boulevard" in that they both present Hollywood as being an intoxicating vacuum that obliterates your ambitions and devours your spirit. The film is a product of chilling tone and idiosyncratic color schemes, both of which seem to get more complex every time you watch it. You may feel lost at times, but the career-best work from Naomi Watts is enough to hold you until the breathtaking finish.

2. "Almost Famous"/"High Fidelity" - Arguably Cameron Crowe's greatest achievement, this portrait of the 1970s music scene through the innocuous eyes of a 15-year-old journalist is pure magic from beginning to end. I'm not one who's known to get emotional during films, but the 'Tiny Dancer' scene envelops me each time I see it and stands as one of the finest combinations of sight and sound in cinema history.

John Cusack has long been one of my favorite actors and his work in "High Fidelity" is refreshingly real and sarcastic in a way that I aspire to be myself. Nick Hornby's novel is ripe with enough eclectic musical knowledge and hysterical witticisms to please any die-hard fan and director Stephen Frears knows how to get the most out of an on-screen romance.

3. "Memento"/"Zodiac" - Does it really matter that Guy Pearce hasn't been able to top this one since? I don't think so, because what he accomplishes here is remarkable through and through and it's a shame that the Academy didn't feel the same.

1970’s San Francisco is the sight for David Fincher’s spellbinding police procedural that takes the viewer deep inside the mania experienced by three men obsessed with cracking America’s most notoriously unsolved serial murder case. First-rate performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. crackle with energy and sarcasm as each actor allows himself to get totally swept up in the chaos that eventually unfolds. The 2-hour 37-minute running time seems to fly by as the anxiety builds and the possibility that he may still be on the loose can be both frustrating and unnerving to those unfamiliar with the real police files.

4. "There Will Be Blood" - Paul Thomas Anderson's towering oil saga throws so much on the table that you might feel overwhelmed the first time you watch it. It's about greed, faith, deception and how far one is willing to go in the name of ambition. Even with an off-the-rails final act, the performance from Daniel Day-Lewis stands among the best ever.

5. "25th Hour" - This penetrating drama about a drug dealer re-evaluating his life the night before he goes to prison captures the ethos of post-9/11 NYC like no other film has. Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman are brilliant as usual as a pair of lifelong friends who realize that life as they know it is over, but it's Spike Lee's invasive personality that jumps out of the camera and demands you to keep watching.

6. "Amores Perros" - The first of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's multi-layered epics is, I think, his most unsettling and fully realized due to its ability to hold you despite graphic scenes of dog fighting. It's a tense story of love and lust that never hits a false note and I urge you to put your unwarranted fear of subtitles aside.

7. "Requiem For a Dream" - Darren Aronofsky challenges you to keep your eyes open as Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans descend into drug-addled madness and you might just lose that battle without even realizing it.

8. "Oldboy" - Korean director Park Chan-Wook has a knack for making audiences cringe on demand and the nasty little revenge tale he drums up here fits that bill to a tee. See it and then see it again.

9. "Sideways" - Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor took a quirky, high-spirited novel from Rex Pickett and turned it into one of the most enjoyably low-key cinematic gems of the decade. With its disheveled everyman duo of Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, this one took us on a life-altering journey through the stunning ins and outs of California wine country and extracted some hysterical moments along the way. Seldom does a film capture the uncompromised essence of a book so impeccably.

10. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - Every time Charlie Kaufman pens a script, it’s guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and director Michel Gondry certainly did his part to deliver on that promise. His melancholy portrait of two endearing eccentrics trying to literally erase their relationship from memory is beautifully woven together to create something totally void of all rom-com cliché. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are pitch perfect as the struggling couple, because they leave the glamour at home and delve into the painful aspects of romance with bona fide apprehension.

Honorable Mention - "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "Capturing the Friedmans," "Once," "Munich," "A History of Violence," "I'm Not There," "Into the Wild," "Lost in Translation," "The Dark Knight," "The Wrestler," "The Hurt Locker," "Up in the Air," "Eastern Promises," "The Departed," "United 93," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Grizzly Man," and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"

Top 10 Films of 2009

2010-01-06T13:25:00.004-05:00

For weeks, I’ve been listening to pundits ramble on and on about how 2009 was a disappointing year in the world of cinema. They say that Hollywood has become nothing but a vapid wasteland where vision and originality are tossed aside in favor of obtuse jesting and six-pack abs (“Twilight” anyone?). That 90-minute romantic comedies with little romance and even less comedy will continue to earn green lights due to their low risk and broad fan base.

I, for one, don’t believe a word of those naïve musings, because every year offers its fair share of exquisite entertainment for those willing to extend beyond their commercial surroundings. This may involve a bit of concentrated taste alteration on your part but, trust me, your efforts will never go for naught.

Contrary to popular belief, the film industry is not on life support.

Having said that, 2009 struck me as a year of transition, both politically and culturally. As a country, we’re on the heels of the Bush Administration and on the cusp of Obama Country. As a society, we’re still dealing with bailouts and a war that, in my mind, is still without an end or a clearly defined enemy. We’re a civilization in limbo, a so-called evil empire on the brink of annihilation with no one to blame but ourselves and the cookie-cutter politicians we elected.

I’m a firm believer in the notion that cinema reflects the landscape in which it's produced so, with that key element in mind, I present to you my picks for the 10 best films of 2009.

1. “A Serious Man” - In their finest work since “Fargo,” Joel and Ethan Coen tap into their Jewish heritage to give us a “Book of Job” for the hippie generation (It takes place in 1967) and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love every misanthropic minute of it. Larry Gopnik is one of the great screen characters of the decade and watching him try to reassemble the fragments of his quiet suburban life amid a sea of negative omens is black comedy at its most poignant level, so I urge you to seek it out as a reminder that your own situation could be much worse.

2. “Up in the Air” - I left the theatre following Jason Reitman’s beautifully devastating tale of detachment and isolation feeling as if he was speaking directly to me. All of the glib observation and cynical wise-cracking exemplified by George Clooney’s suave protagonist touched me on a level I seldom experience at the movies. On the surface, it’s about a charismatic loner who makes his living firing people for bosses who are too spineless to do it themselves, but further examination reveals a Sturges-esque riff on what it really means to be connected in today’s technologically-obsessed climate and Clooney has never been more at ease with himself on screen. Plus, with Anna Kendrick and the gorgeous Vera Farmiga around to light things up like a 1940s screen siren, how could you go wrong?

3. “The Hurt Locker” - Thank you Kathryn Bigelow, thank you for finally crafting an Iraq War film that isn’t laden with politics and faux sentimentality. Forget the heavy-handed drama of “In the Valley of Elah.“ Forget the fledgling babble of “Lions for Lambs.” This is a riveting, tightly wound balls-to-the-wall action flick that challenges your heart to a rat race and never lets up. What we’re presented with here is a group of soldiers who live, breathe, eat and sleep the “war is a drug” philosophy to the point that any time spent out of the desert is a missed opportunity. Jeremy Renner is electric as a swaggering bomb squad leader and Bigelow’s knack for suspense ensures that you’ll think twice before getting up for any free refills.

4. “Summer Hours” - When a 75-year-old woman dies, her estranged children are left to sort through the house-full of priceless artifacts she leaves behind and a heartrending meditation on the importance of family ties soon ensues. It’s sad to think that a woman’s entire life can be summed up by the amount of museum-worthy relics she accumulated, but that’s the harsh reality these characters are forced to deal with. Each item sold or donated is like a piece of their mother being cast off to someone who knows nothing of the significance or sorrow behind it which, to me, makes the narrative that much more unsettling.

5. “Anvil: The Story of Anvil” - In 1984, Canadian speed-metal group Anvil was on the fast track to stardom until a series of really unfortunate events derailed their chances at greatness. Director Sacha Gervasi captures their journey into obscurity with inscrutable honesty and, with a set-up that’s equal parts funny, sad and inspiring, you may just find yourself cheering by the film’s end.

6. “District 9” - Nothing could’ve prepared me for the raw agitation of Neill Blomkamp’s brilliant socio-political alien saga and I stand by my opinion that it’s the best sci-fi flick since 1999’s “The Matrix.” The combination of the steady-cam grittiness and Sharlto Copley’s frantic embodiment of a government goon turned antihero is as dynamic as it gets.

7. “An Education” - Carey Mulligan delivers one of the best performances of the year as a British schoolgirl yearning for a life outside the rigid confines of academia and evokes Audrey Hepburn in more ways than one. Her scenes opposite Alfred Molina crackle with the type of acerbic familial strife that reminds you why Nick Hornby is such a masterful wizard with words.

8. “The Messenger” - Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster (both incredible) star as a pair of casualty notification officers charged with the impossible task of informing loved ones that a soldier has died in action. They use their emotionally vacant approach to the job as a way to avoid confronting their own battle scars, which often manifest themselves with haunting consequences. We knew Harrelson could go for broke, but the extremes to which Foster is willing to go remain the real revelation here.

9. “Inglourious Basterds” - On one hand, Quentin Tarantino’s bloody historical revision is a Jewish revenge tale that dives into its material with irreverent glee. On the other, it’s a glorious, dialogue-driven love letter to the history of cinema that gets better with each salacious slip of the tongue. Can you go wrong either way?

10. “Antichrist” - You have to hand it to Lars von Trier for committing himself so soundly to material that most people would consider morally repugnant. He turns an ordinary weekend camping retreat into a frightening house of horrors with Charlotte Gainsbourg acting as master of mutilation ceremonies and the cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle is as luscious as any I’ve ever seen. I challenge anyone to come up with a more chilling line than “Chaos Reigns.”

What about “Avatar?” - Despite its thinly-veiled political message and lack of sufficient plot, I found James Cameron’s latest brain child to be one of the most aesthetically arresting forms of participant observation I’ve ever experienced on screen. I’m afraid the film simply collapses under the weight of its amazing first hour and never fully recovers.

Other honorable mentions: “Paranormal Activity,” “Drag Me to Hell,” “Precious,” “This is It,” “Star Trek,” “Adventureland,” “The Hangover,” “Tyson,” “I Love You, Man,” “Coraline,” and “Gomorra.”

Worst - “Watchmen,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Angels and Demons,” and “Terminator: Salvation”

A Serious Man and Observe and Report

2009-12-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

In the Coen Brothers’ latest exercise in esoteric cynicism, “A Serious Man,” Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is trying to do the right thing. He goes to work, comes home and, like the passive little worker bee he is, seldom tinkers with anything outside of the cozy confines of his suburban Jewish community. He’s the type of old-school neurotic who views the outside world as a secular, hyper-sexualized volcano waiting to erupt over the sacred values he once held dear. His wife has fallen for their close friend, his son would rather smoke pot and listen to Jefferson Airplane than be bar mitzvahed and his job as a Physics professor hangs in the balance following a student’s ill-advised attempt at bribery. The only thing keeping him grounded is the glimmer of hope that somehow, some way, his faith in Hashem will lead him to salvation.

In the past, critics have accused the Coens of showing little compassion for their characters, but this time things aren’t so cut and dry. We get the sense that they feel for Larry even though his misfortunes are played for biting comedic effect and they manage to craft an impeccable meditation on life through the eyes of a man whose quest for clarity is derailed by a string of spiritual speed bumps. No matter how many temples he attends or how many rabbis he talks to, he’s forced to discover that the true answer lies in one’s ability to wrestle their way out of any situation regardless of how bleak things get and Stuhlbarg conveys all of this with effortless resonance and panic.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it should challenge anyone who appreciates comedy that isn’t so much manufactured as it is a by-product of what R.E.M. fans already know as “life’s rich pageant.”

- **** out of 4

How’s this for a script?

We’ll take the endearing everyman mystique of Paul Blart and combine it with the post-Vietnam psychosis of Travis Bickle to create a static tale of an overweight mall cop with a creepy penchant for assault weapons and date rape. It’ll be a good, old-fashioned celebration of the second amendment and how anyone can take the law into their own hands whenever the mood strikes.

Sold yet?

If not, you’re probably wondering what exactly the point of it all is. Is it an argument in favor of gun control or a gratuitously brash comedy from Jody Hill and Seth Rogen called "Observe and Report" that makes the mayhem in “Pineapple Express” look tame in comparison? Is it both? I could take the time to explain whatever merits the creators think they have here but, outside of Rogen’s dedicated performance, the well runs dry rather quickly.

- ** out of 4

Michael Jackson's "This Is It"

2009-11-15T12:28:00.001-05:00

Since “The T.A.M.I Show” was released on December 29, 1964, the film industry has been trying to capture the definitive cinematic concert experience.

In the 70’s, we had “Woodstock” and “The Last Waltz.” In the 80s, we had “Stop Making Sense” and “U2: Rattle and Hum.” In the 90s, we had “Madonna: Truth or Dare” and the appalling, flag-burning abattoir known as Woodstock ’99 on pay-per-view.

Now, in 2009, we have Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” an electrifying last-minute exercise in self-aggrandizement from an embattled visionary desperate to reclaim his throne as the undisputed “King of Pop.”

If you ask me, the tagline for this film should’ve read “Caution: Mad Genius At Work,” because that’s exactly what we’re seeing here.

It’s a lavish eruption of whimsical sights and vociferous sounds guaranteed to make you question every drug-addled, skeletonian image trotted out by Nancy Grace during the months following his death.

We’re given a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the opus of a 50-year-old artiste in search of whatever sense of absolution he can attain and, had the concerts been able to go on as scheduled, I think we would’ve been looking at one of the greatest musical endeavors of modern times.

Whether it was the towering, Peter Jackson-esque production value or the pulsating finesse of 24-year-old Orianthi Panagaris on guitar, everything seemed to be pointing toward Jackson’s return to prominence. He had the look, energy, personnel and ever-present air of youthful exuberance needed to pull off such an ambitious task, which director Kenny Ortega makes sure to highlight on more than one occasion.

The only thing standing in his way appeared to be his reluctance to surround himself with people willing to tell him “no,” because the more he wanted, the less likely it became for others to resist giving into his demands. He lived his entire life in the midst of people so enamored by his genius that they seldom questioned what direction he was taking, so I guess it’s only appropriate that the circumstances of his death be clouded by a sea of proverbial “What ifs.”

As for the set-list, does it really need to be revealed?

You know the songs, you know the albums. Go experience it for yourself and, hopefully, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for just how unique he really was.

- **** out of 4

Antichrist

2009-11-15T12:27:00.004-05:00

It’s been almost a month since I’ve seen Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” yet I’m still not quite sure what to make of it.

Is it the most vibrantly insulting decimation of society’s moral fiber ever created? Does Von Trier deserve to be institutionalized for even suggesting that civilized filmgoers would find entertainment in a soporific tale involving the slow-motion death of a child and female genital mutilation?

Honestly, I wouldn’t know where to begin with those questions, but I can say that the veracity with which the material is handled makes it one of the most challenging cinematic experiences you’ll find all year.

Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as a couple who retreat to a cabin in the woods following the tragic loss of their son and what unfolds is frightening, appalling and mesmerizing all at once, because the plot is always measured and never simple.

I’m fighting the urge to reveal just an iota of what the plot entails, because a film this dichotomous deserves to be seen minus any preconceptions. The austere reality present here is so stunningly alive that I can’t help but think of it as a piece of gothic performance art that won’t be appreciated until much later on down the line.

- *** ½ out of 4

Thoughts on Health Care #2

2009-11-15T12:27:00.001-05:00

In my opinion, changes in the public perception of physicians are becoming more and more common as the years progress, because everyone has their own idea of what a doctor’s purpose should be. While shows such as “House” and “ER” often portray them as unflappable, all-knowing gurus who can effectively tackle any illness in front of them, the reality is that they aren’t always as personable or confident as the media leads you to believe.

People need to realize that they are fallible human beings who use their knowledge and intuitive skills to help people to the best of their ability, which is rarely accomplished in the course of one evening visit. Gone are the days when being a doctor was universally considered as an elite status symbol because, if the recent death of Michael Jackson taught us anything, it’s that doctors can cause more harm than good if they succumb to the pressure.

Cases such as the Michael Jackson debacle can be seen as major contributors to the growing distrust of people in the medical profession, because the public is already skeptical of health care and seeing Dr. Conrad Murray become somewhat of a professional drug dealer only adds to the hysteria.

With so many people turning to home remedies or alternative medicine, it appears that the idea exists that people no longer have to trust or rely on their family physician to solve every problem, especially with health insurance rates skyrocketing out of control.

I know plenty of people who would rather consult Web MD than take time out of their day to wait at a clinic, so I think that the more information people receive from outlets such as newspapers or the Internet, the more they’ll begin to second guess a doctor’s ability to treat them successfully.

Thoughts on Health Care #1

2009-11-15T12:24:00.000-05:00

What irritates me most about American health care is the amount of statistics that are often unjustly downplayed by the national media. Facts such as “1/3 of all deaths are attributed to infectious disease” and “life expectancy in the United States has increased from 47 to 77.8 since 1900” are both upsetting examples of how even a technological superpower like the United States can be so unequivocally behind countries that are less complacent in their superiority (The US ranks 45th in life expectancy).

We’re constantly fed words and images portraying America as being the greatest place on Earth yet this country’s true prominence should really be measured by its ability to recognize weakness and, in turn, discover ways to rectify the crisis before it spirals out of control.

People think that Michael Moore is nothing but a shameless self-promoter who profits from the very institutions he condemns, but when he put forth the notion that “America has the best health care in the world until you get sick,” he may have been onto something.

Another element I find particularly illuminating is the idea that Malaria had been all but eliminated by 1965, because it’s one of the most treacherous diseases in the world today. With over 400 million people infected each year, I can’t help but wonder how exactly the medical community deemed it to no longer be an international threat.

It seems that political pandering has a lot to do with the way society views certain diseases, because while cases such as SARS and the so-called Swine Flu are paraded ad nauseum in the public eye, Malaria is simply accepted as a part of life allowed to persist unabated.

Policy makers have the ability to control how certain stories are covered, so I would like to believe that the obligation to truth would overtake everything else, but rarely do things ever play out in such uncontroversial fashion.

I’ve long been fascinated about health care in America and I have an eerie feeling that the more I learn, the less likely it is that I’ll be enamored by what I’m finding out.

Seven Day Faith reunites for hometown fans

2009-10-13T10:28:00.002-04:00

In the winter of 2004, one could say that Niagara Falls-based power-pop quartet Seven Day Faith had reached the pinnacle of local prominence.

They had two full-length albums, a string of delectably saccharin hits on Buffalo’s Kiss 98.5 and even a spot opening for Avril Lavigne in front of 20,000 people at the station’s annual “Kissmas” Bash. They were an act on the rise, an engaging group of twenty-something dreamers who combined the melodic sentimentality of Bon Jovi with the hard-partying haste of Motley Crüe to create what sounded like the Boy Band of the Sunset Strip.

So why, then, nearly five years later does the name not permeate the eyes and ears of every fervent 14-year-old girl from here to Seattle?

While some might attribute their dissolution to mismanagement, dwindling interest or just plain bad fortune, their performance at the Hard Rock Café last Friday night leads me to believe that they were no longer jelling together on a creative level.

At numerous points in the set, it seemed as if they were all traveling in their own musical direction, only to reconvene at a time when the song was in need of a bombastic finish.

Songs such as “Wake Up” and “I Can’t Stand It” that usually sound crisp and clean instead came off as muffled and uneven, so moderate fans may have been left with a somewhat distant feeling of what the band is really like.

Then again, lead vocalist Rob Bilson, guitarists John Rosini and Rob Burgio (both now of Ransomville) and drummer Rob Ferenc have played together sparingly over the last few years, so was anyone really expecting a well-oiled musical machine?

Don’t get me wrong, I thought they definitely brought it on certain songs (“Forever and a Day” and “Nobody Else” come to mind), but the intangible aura of cohesion that all great bands possess didn’t appear to be there. Rosini and Burgio rip seamlessly through the fretboards yet feel like they’re in two totally different bands and Bilson no longer sounds emotionally invested in the material, so maybe their time together has indeed come and passed. I can say that Ferenc’s extended drum solo provided the evening with a much-needed kick, because rarely is the rhythm section given total control over the proceedings.

Was it their best work? No, but they sure as hell played with more pep than Theory of a Deadman did at Crue Fest which, in my book, has to count for something. I prefer to think of the first time I saw them back in April 2004 and how revved up they were on stage, because there’s something inherently likable about such a radiant homage to 1980s arena rock that makes you wonder where it all went wrong.

The Trews show WNY some love

2009-10-13T10:27:00.000-04:00

“You took a gamble on the weather and you won” said lead singer of The Trews Colin MacDonald prior to their show at Artpark back in July and, believe me, the deafening ovation that followed showed just how aware the audience was of their improbable kismet.

I say improbable, because the day had been consumed by unremitting rains and ominous skies that showed no sign of letting up until the concert was already underway.

Call it divine intervention or just plain coincidence, but the sun blazed through the hazy Lewiston air just as the band tore into their opening number “Dark Highway” and instantly set the tone for what was to be a dynamic evening of potent Canadian rock music.

Out to support their latest release “No Time for Later,” The Trews were on fire from the start and seemed to know exactly what the diehard followers wanted to hear. “Not Ready to Go,” “So She’s Leaving,” “Paranoid Freak” and “Can’t Stop Laughing” were all flawless in their operation, so the chances of anyone going home disappointed were eradicated rather early in the proceedings.

What I’ve always liked about this modest band from Antagonish, Nova Scotia is its aversion to anything resembling the bloated, over-sensationalized rock and roll we’ve become accustomed to hearing on commercial radio as of late.

No pyrotechnics, no synthesizers and certainly no electronic voice manipulation to make MacDonald sound like T-Pain or Akon.

They’re simply an awesome, no-frills bar band that is finally getting the attention they deserve and the timing couldn’t be better.

High points of the set include a timely yet chilling acoustic take on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” as well as scorching covers of Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole” and the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”

The cover portion of the show is an opportunity for guitarist John-Angus MacDonald to unleash his chops and disappear to a planet that hasn’t even been discovered yet. He becomes a one-man show whose instrument takes on a feral existence of its own throughout each searing tinge of the solo, while the bystanders have no choice but to look on in deep approbation.

I've caught them twice this year and both shows were as high-energy as they come, so I urge you to check them out the next time they’re in the area.

For those who can’t wait, The Trews will be at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester on Sept. 26 and just a quick jaunt over the border in Hamilton, Ont. on Nov. 11 for a show at The Studio at Hamilton Place.

See ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.ca for details.

Crue Fest 2

2009-09-15T12:25:00.003-04:00

Ah, the wonders of Crue Fest.

10 Bands, two stages and 20,000 partially inebriated metalheads chomping at the bit to experience what are supposed to be today's finest hard rock ensembles.

Seriously, what could be better than seven hours of balls-to-the-wall distortion and predictably morose lyricisms?

Well, if the crowd at Darien Lake on Saturday meant anything, there aren't too many things ambitious enough to fit that bill. The vibe was raucous from the onset and people were anxious to get down to business. Keep in mind that a festival atmosphere enables you to pick and choose which bands are deserving of your attention, so not only do you get music, but you also end up purging calories running back and forth between each stage.

This must be what Quiet Riot had in mind when they wrote "Metal Health," but I could be wrong.

Due to scheduling, I was only able to catch seven bands on the bill and,sadly, not all of them performed at the same level of ferocity. Some rocked, some shocked and some were just glad to be out of the house.

Rather than compose a traditional review, I decided to go through the bands one by one and give you a snapshot of what they're all about.

Here it goes:

Charm City Devils - I arrived just as they were jumping into their last two numbers, so I can't really offer too much detail. However, I heard enough to know that overly-simplistic arrangements and cheese-filled choruses can only get you so far before people start clamoring for the exit.

16 Second Stare - Deafening riffs, plentiful F-bombs and Atreyu-esque throat contortions sum-up this portion of the program, but a lot of fans seem to enjoy that sort of thing. Comedian George Carlin once wonderedwhat a wolverine would sound like on PCP, so maybe that gives you an idea of what this band focused on.

Drowning Pool - The bodies were literally hitting the floor during their signature track, so it was pretty cool seeing how far the audience would take the mayhem. Although the rest of the set droned on at times, they still kicked it pretty hard when necessary.

Theory of a Deadman - As someone who likes this band a great deal, I was disappointed with their lackluster showing on Saturday. Frontman Tyler Connolly's voice sounded way too coarse and high-pitched during songs like"Bad Girlfriend" and "So Happy," which threw off the entire feeling usually conveyed through their music. Maybe it was the sound system or maybe it was the fact that they'd been on tour for three months, but something was definitely off.

Rev Theory - This explosive five-piece stole the show behind searing vocals from Rich Luzzi, because they actually emitted an aura of appreciation. They embraced the crowd, they sounded fantastic and they left every ounce of energy on the stage behind them. Given that they had such a small window with which to work, I can only imagine what they would do as a headliner.

Godsmack - Let me preface this by saying that I like Godsmack. I really do, but it's hard to envision this band's existence without taking into account everything Alice in Chains did during the early 1990s. The mystical vocal range, the depressing thematic range and the love affair with Drop-D are all reminiscent of Staley and Cantrell's metallic brilliance, so keep that in mind every time you listen.

As for their set, it was filled with the usual hits like "Awake," "Keep Away" and "Voodoo," but Sully Erna was a little too standoffish to make the performance seem like anything other than a routine procedure. He kept inciting the crowd to get crazy by hurling cups of beer and getting upset when they didn't catch them, so I guess there's just no pleasing some people. Musically, they sounded great, but the overall stage presence just wasn't up to par.

Motley Crue - Nearly 30 years into their career, the bad boys of the Sunset Strip are still kicking out the jams. Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee can always be counted on for a party and their double set to close out the festival was certainly an energetic endeavor. The Dr. Feelgood album was performed in its entirety followed by a mixture of old and new hits that kept people wanting more which, to the haters, couldn't have been a good sign.

End of the Summer Film Frenzy

2009-08-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

A time will come in every person’s life when they’re forced to look inward and discover just how concrete their ability to navigate through tough times really is. For the haughty, well-to-do siblings in Olivier Assayas’s gorgeous new film “Summer Hours,” that time proves to be testier than expected when their 75-year-old mother dies, leaving them to quarrel over a collection of priceless artifacts she leaves behind. To call it a sibling rivalry would imply that they all feel entitled to a piece of the pie, but that’s simply not the case here.

Two of them are eager to let go of the past and allow the pieces to go their separate ways, but one isn’t quite ready to relinquish a life he once cherished. Watching them sort through the debris, both physical and emotional, is heartwarming to the core and something I have more than a modicum of experience with.

Beautifully shot, debonair in its production and boasting eloquent work from Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling and Jérémie Renier, I suggest you seek it out and revel in its sheer majesty.

- **** out of 4

It’s been referred to as Judd Apatow’s “death movie,” his unconcealed attempt at meriting the respect of Hollywood’s elite as well as devout film scholars who find his brand of cinema to be less than artful. Sure, the fragility of being is explored at times, but the reality of “Funny People” is one that defies such asinine prejudgment. The much-heralded comedic genius behind “Freaks and Geeks” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” has crafted an astute celebration of life through the cynical, self-loathing eyes of a millionaire actor who returns to his stand-up comedy roots after being diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia.

For the first time in his career, Adam Sandler embodies a character that is undoubtedly a living, breathing grown-up and he knocks it out of the park. He makes George Simmons a well-rounded smart-ass who uses humor to avoid dealing with the harsh reality in which he finds himself, so when the occasion comes for him to finally open-up, the movie becomes much more than a raunchy battle of wits. The camaraderie he develops with up-and-comer Ira Wright (played brilliantly by Seth Rogen) makes for a sea of hysterical moments involving Judaism and dick jokes, which both seem to be synonymous with the Apatow brand.

As someone who was on the fence about Sandler’s dramatic potential, I can’t say enough about his performance here and would love to see the Academy reward him for the effort.

- *** ½ out of 4

Just when I thought J.J. Abrams had all but sealed the deal on Science Fiction for 2009, along comes British director Neill Blomkamp with a work so raw, so distinctive and so shocking that I won’t hesitate to call it an early candidate for my year-end column. His “District 9” is an ascetic window into a world overrun by soulless bureaucrats who can’t resist the opportunity for profit when aliens touch down over Johannesburg, South Africa. Not even a national crisis can keep the human thirst for dominion at bay, so the real-life parallels drawn here are sure to have audiences foaming at the mouth over the appalling display of power. The outlook is bleak, the creatures are the epitome of grotesque and the only chance for survival comes down to a shrill, pusillanimous company man who suddenly finds himself at the center of chaos.

Sharlto Copley gives one of the most riveting performances of the year as Wikus van de Merwe and deserves to have his name thrown around come award season. He’s cocky, irritating and downright moronic at the outset, but something happens during the second act that brings out the best in his character. Wikus goes from zero to hero and becomes a vulnerable, determined fugitive who discovers how disposable his existence really is. We feel his anguish and, despite prior intolerance, are with him until the bitter end.

Dystopian films such as “Children of Men” and “The Road” certainly come to mind, but the extraterrestrial presence adds a much crazier dimension to the narrative that sets it apart. Anytime a filmmaker is ballsy enough to introduce inter-species prostitution as a possible outlet for stress, I’m inclined to believe that we’ll never see anything remotely similar ever again. There’s something refreshing about a filmmaker who’s willing to obliterate all conventionality and I can only hope that future Sci-Fi pictures follow suit.

- **** out of 4

“Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them” – Pauline Kael

I quote the great Pauline Kael, because her words make me feel less irate over watching the latest “Fatal Attraction” facsimile “Obsessed,” starring Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter (stunning, as usual). The film tries to be sleek, sexy and every other provocative concept in the book, but how much tension can possibly be generated when the supposed affair is just a wicked hallucination drummed up out of loneliness? Can you get emotionally invested knowing that the two characters in question never actually had a relationship? I certainly wasn’t but, then again, I’m probably not the target audience for a film like this anyway.

- ** out of 4

“The Haunting in Connecticut” is supposedly based on true events, but I have difficulty believing that everything went down exactly the way it’s portrayed on screen. Sources have even come out since and stated that no paranormal activity has been reported in the house since the Snedeker family left, so who really knows for sure? I can say that the film is chilling enough in spots to make it passable and Virginia Madsen’s presence is always a welcomed sight.

-** ½ out of 4

I know it may be sacrilegious to say so, but Greg Mottola’s infinitely delightful ode to summer romance “Adventureland” is much better than his 2007 romp “Superbad.” He captures the sights and sounds of 1987 to a tee and hits just the right note when exploring a budding relationship between Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Upon seeing the trailer, I honestly didn’t care to give it a second look, but it’s one of those films that comes out of nowhere to steal your heart and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet little burst of nostalgia.

- **** out of 4 (Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are stellar yet again)

Iron Maiden is often billed as “the biggest band in the world” and watching an endless array of metalheads from Mumbai wail the chorus to “Aces High” makes that sentiment quite difficult to dispute. Tack on concerts in Italy, Japan, Latvia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Croatia etc. and you get a semblance of what their captivating new documentary “Iron Maiden: Flight 666” is all about. They’re incredible on stage and the film gives you a behind-the-scenes view of their day-to-day operations while on tour, so if you’re a fan of the music, you’ll love every minute of it.

- **** out of 4

The Charlie Daniels Band rocks the locks

2009-08-28T11:12:00.001-04:00

The Molson Canal Concert Series was transformed into a good old-fashioned hoedown on Friday night as the attendees were treated to a rousing 90 minutes of Southern-fried rock courtesy of the Charlie Daniels Band. The heat was on, the drinks were cold and the vitality of Daniels’s fiddle playing was enough to entice music lovers to endure what felt like the most sweat-soaked evening of 2009. People may not have known the name of every song, but they sure knew the lyrics once the opening riff hit, so needless to say there was no shortage of audience participation.

At 72 years young, Daniels displays more zest on stage than I would expect and has the innate ability to turn any number into a riotous jam session whenever the mood strikes. Songs like “The South’s Gonna Do It” and “Long-haired Country Boy” showed tremendous bite as the band lost itself in the groove and even the lesser-known tunes were able to bring the crowd to a roaring applause. They could’ve come out and played a country-infused version of “The Nutcracker” and fans would’ve been into it, because the group was exceptionally tight and it’s not everyday that a legendary musician gives a free show in the unassuming city of Lockport.

Then again, it didn’t take much to rile this crowd, because first opener Ransomville delivered a commanding, well-received set that, to me, resembled more hard hock than country. Guitarists John Rosini and Rob Burgio (both former members of Seven Day Faith) each treat the instrument like their own personal playground and somehow find a way to make country music seem less predictable.

Their spirited take on Big and Rich’s “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” was impressive, while the original material worked even better than on the album. It might sound strange, but a few of their heavier tunes came off as a twangy Buckcherry at times, so I’m interested to see how they progress in the future.

Second opener Her and Kings County was just as lively as radiant vocalist Monique Staffile led the band through a series of whimsical party tunes that showcased how diverse the event really was. The combination of a unique stage presence and her dynamic vocal ability set the tone for an entertaining set featuring some killer work on both the banjo and steel pedal guitar.

As someone who doesn’t even like country music, I can’t deny the stellar array of musicianship offered by all three groups and wouldn’t mind if they wound up on next year’s schedule. It was the perfect alignment of music, ambiance and weather, so here’s hoping this Friday’s finale with Randy Bachman is up to the challenge.

A Tribute to John Hughes

2009-08-14T11:41:00.002-04:00

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to do this, but what can really be said about writer/director John Hughes that hasn’t already been put forth? He was the impassioned voice of a generation, a pensive, level-headed auteur who brought the plight of the American teenager into the mainstream without all the sneering condescension. He shunned the “young and stupid” cliché by treating youths with the respect they deserved and rarely fashioned a script that didn’t contain a surplus of downcast yet quotable anecdotes reflecting the human condition. His characters were one-of-a-kind in their eccentricity which, to me, only makes his death more difficult to swallow, because we’ll never know what oddball creation he might have introduced next.

After all, we’re talking about the same guy who scoffed at authority in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” tackled class differences with “Pretty in Pink” and made the phrase “neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie” part of the pop culture lexicon. Furthermore, I don’t think there’s a guy between the ages of 25 and 45 who doesn’t get excited just thinking about Kelly LeBrock standing in Wyatt’s doorway toward the beginning of “Weird Science,” so the impact Hughes had goes beyond mere entertainment value.

His success was the product of a Reagan-controlled universe in which kids either acquiesced to the corporate lifestyle or risked being called a “burnout” the rest of their life.

Some call it exploitation, but that implies a degree of mean-spiritedness on Hughes’s part that didn’t exist in the slightest. He simply constructed a cinematic world where high-schoolers could be themselves and not have to be ashamed of going against the grain. For once, someone in the media wasn’t treating them like second-class citizens and they loved every minute of it.

Instead of doing a full-on retrospective, I’ve decided to highlight five films and quotes that I feel best define the legacy of this beloved filmmaker. If your favorite doesn’t appear on the list or you’d like to add your own thoughts to the mix, feel free to comment at your leisure. I’m always looking for a good debate, so bring it on…

*I love “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” as much as anyone, but it’s been talked about to death, so I decided not to include it here.

Films –

“National Lampoon’s Vacation” – Hughes didn’t direct this instant classic, but he did pen a script that showcased Chevy Chase’s ability to elicit a laugh from any situation imaginable. Whether it’s the picnic scene or the babbling father-son talks, it’s difficult to watch without emitting even the most temperate giggle.

“The Breakfast Club” – Since this happens to be my personal favorite, I’ll defend its quality to no end simply because of the filthy one-liners that spew out of Judd Nelson’s mouth at every turn. His rugged exterior makes for an array of laugh-out-loud moments and the fact that everybody knows he’s full of it only adds to the hi-jinx. If you’re one of the few people on Earth who hasn’t seen it, consider it a must, because Hughes’s ability to blend humor with irascible parental issues has never been better.

“Pretty in Pink” – Once again, he only wrote the script, but with a cast featuring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader and Annie Potts, how can you possibly go wrong? The age-old tale of forbidden love is played out expertly as Ringwald and McCarthy pursue a relationship despite coming from opposite ends of the economic spectrum, while Cryer creates a character sure to live forever in the minds of women who wish they had a “Duckie” to turn to in times of despair. Great stuff.

“Planes, Trains and Automobiles” – The pairing of Steve Martin and John Candy is pure genius from beginning to end. Enough said.

“Uncle Buck”/”Home Alone” – Both films feature John Candy and Macaulay Culkin and they’re both hysterical works that have a high-volume of repeatability. I love both of them dearly and feel they should be staples for any budding film fanatic young enough to idolize Kevin McAllister.

Quotes –

“Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?” – John Bender (The Breakfast Club)

“Drinking and driving don’t mix. That’s why I ride a bike.” – Duckie (Pretty in Pink)

“Will milk be made available to us?” – John Bender (The Breakfast Club)

“How 'bout a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?” – Chet (Weird Science)

“Can I borrow your underpants for 10 minutes?” – The Geek (Sixteen Candles)

Angels and Demons, Brüno and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-21T21:28:00.005-04:00

When Ron Howard’s “The Da Vinci Code” hit theatres in May of 2006, I called it a “wildly entertaining story full of twists and intellectual intrigue guaranteed to make devout followers of Christ gasp when presented with such nonsense.” Sure, it had its issues regarding chemistry and a demented, self-mutilating Paul Bettany, but at least it provided two-plus hours of harmless summer entertainment that kept me breezily entranced.

With “Angels and Demons,” however, I got the feeling that Howard was riding high on the heels of “Frost/Nixon” and made a conscious decision to mail in an effort void of all vigor and narrative cohesion. I struggle to think of one aspect that genuinely moved me, because it felt more like a third-rate, ecclesiastical scavenger hunt than a popcorn flick deserving of so much undivided attention.

The film flat-out stinks worse than the time Chris Matthews tried to bust a move on “Ellen” and I’d hate to think that, at age 53, Tom Hanks has resigned himself to this type of cookie-cutter production. The film moved along at such a humdrum tempo that I had to propel myself to keep watching because, in the end, the story tacked on one crooked clergyman too many and could’ve used about 20-30 minutes worth of cuts to make things less convoluted.

Oy vey!

- * ½ out of 4

Sacha Baron Cohen takes “Bruno” to places that I never thought I’d see in a mainstream comedy. Actually, he takes the contemptible mockumentary to places that I never really wanted to see in a mainstream comedy but, then again, it’s that utter disregard for taste and societal acceptance that makes him one of the funniest comedic artists on the planet. The humor in this shameless saga of a gay Austrian fashionista provides a few of the craziest laugh-out-loud moments I’ve seen from any medium all year and will likely end up as the most divisive movie of 2009 not called Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist.”

Does he go too far? Probably, but did anyone expect him not too? Whether it’s Bruno or Borat, the whole point of Cohen’s shtick is to make both the participants and the audience feel as ill at ease as possible while highlighting the idiocy of people from all walks of life. I can’t really say any more than that because, if seeing is believing, this is one shocker that needs to be seen before the censors decide to kill the first amendment indefinitely.

- *** ½ out of 4

Rather than rail on director David Yates for taking a few audacious liberties with J.K. Rowling’s beloved source material, I’ll just say that “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is, to me, the most humanistic (If that’s even possible) film yet to be made about the world of Hogwarts.

For the first time, the three main characters are allowed to be compassionate, full-fledged teenagers who are just as concerned about romance as they are wizardry and somehow that little bit of muggle savvy provides the missing piece of the Potter puzzle. The capricious element is balanced beautifully against the newfound backdrop of teen angst and the only thing that keeps it from being the finest of the series is the gross overuse of Nicholas Hooper’s dreary musical arrangements.

Luckily, Jim Broadbent was available to liven things up, because his Oscar-worthy portrayal of Professor Horace Slughorn radiates with the kind of manic irreverence that keeps the story from becoming too much like an episode of “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

He’s the idyllic antidote to Severus Snape’s über-deathly disposition and I can’t say enough about the luminosity of his work here. One can only hope that the next guest they bring in can match his level of pub-induced gusto, because the secondary players are often the most interesting to watch.

As for the story itself, Yates picks up the action directly where “Order of the Phoenix” left off as Harry is reeling after the murder of Sirius Black by Bellatrix Lestrange (My personal favorite) as well as beginning to ease into his role as the so-called “chosen one.”

He’s absolved himself of the whole Cho Chang debacle and now has his sights set on Ron’s younger sister Ginny, who is just as eager to move forward with the relationship. His gravest challenge remains figuring out how to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all with Ron and Hermione prepared to help him every step of the way.

Daniel Radcliffe makes strides in his sixth stint as the title character, but his performance doesn’t demand your attention the way some of the unsung people do.

Personally, I’m more entertained watching Helena Bonham Carter unleash the zaniness as the aforementioned Lestrange and Evanna Lynch exude the most endearing presence of all as Luna Lovegood. These are the people I come to see because, with the laundry list of talent these movies tend to boast, it’s easy for the three leads to get pushed aside when the showier roles take center stage.

In theory, this installment had the potential to be the best yet, but ultimately suffered from a botched final act that packed the emotional punch of a National Enquirer cover story. All the darkness that had been building up through the years never quite manifested itself the way I hoped it would so, if Yates wants to redeem himself, he needs to make The Deathly Hallows as close to the book as possible. I’ve read the final installment and, if Yates does it the right way, we could be looking at something that’ll force the Academy to finally take notice.

- *** out of 4

The Cult delivers despite placid crowd

2009-07-13T09:30:00.001-04:00

From the moment frontman Ian Astbury said “Let’s show these Americans how to rock and roll,” you could feel the crowd starting to pull away. Whatever frenzied goodwill he and the rest of The Cult generated seemed to evaporate with each anti-American slip of the tongue and, believe me, there were plenty of ill-advised pot shots to go around. One could say that his remarks were in bad taste, but judging from the attendees’ overall lack of enthusiasm; I can’t really blame him for trying to ignite their nationalistic fire.

Opening with a fiery rendition of “Lil’ Devil,” The Cult immediately let people know that they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the rock universe. Astbury’s soulfully operatic vocal styling hasn’t lost one iota of its passion and lead guitarist Billy Duffy tears through the fretboard as if the guitar said that his mother wears army boots. Every power chord more torrential than the last, every solo navigated with the utmost attention to detail. The only thing absent was a little Mac and Jack’s Wonder Potion to get the crowd’s energy levels peaking (That’s my only Michael Jackson reference, I promise), because then the band would’ve had something palpable to feed off of.

About halfway through the set, Astbury began to imitate the comatose audience members by standing still with his arms folded to the side to signal the apex of his consternation. How they managed to put together 70 minutes of exuberant hard rock is a mystery to me, because it just didn’t have the anarchic vibe usually present at shows of this nature. Had it been 1988, things may have turned out differently, but I guess we’ll never know.

Highlights of the evening include an exquisite “Edie (Ciao Baby),” a boisterous “Fire Woman” and an immaculate one-two punch of “Love Removal Machine” and “She Sells Sanctuary” to cap off a perfect summer evening.

Usually, you need to be Christian Bale in “The Machinist” just to maneuver your way through the mess, but not on this night. On this night, the gaps were just begging to be filled by fans who know a killer rock show when they see one. Those who were there should cherish it, because if Friday’s tepid overtone meant anything, The Cult might never set foot in Lockport again.

Summer Movie Catch-Up

2009-07-01T16:51:00.003-04:00

"Drag Me to Hell" - *** 1/2 out of 4 (I was too tired to review it)

As someone who’s never seen a minute of the original “Star Trek” television series, I found J.J. Abrams’s frenetically paced update to be extraordinary in every facet of the game. The action is incendiary, the script is refreshing and the cast gels together as well any Best Picture winner in recent memory. I, for one, don’t think it’s a stretch to call it the most rewarding Sci-Fi experience since 1999’s “The Matrix,” but I’ll save that argument for a later date. If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest going soon, because it just wouldn’t be the same without the chaotic magnitude of your local multiplex.

- **** out of 4

“The Hangover” takes what classics such as “Animal House” and “Bachelor Party” did to a level that is almost guaranteed to make the audience keel over in a way that most comedies can’t even imagine. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis are the perfect trio of impetuous misfits, because they actually buy into the “what happens in Vegas” philosophy to the point that not even the most morally repugnant behavior is off limits. Their escapades lead them to an emergency room, a police station and even Mike Tyson’s living room, where Galifianakis experiences first-hand what it feels like to get decked by the “Baddest Man on the Planet.” Every scene is pitch perfect in its mirth and even the most prudish individual should find something to crack a smile at because, in the end, it’s pretty effing hilarious.

- *** ½ out of 4

Tony Scott’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” is the kind of breezy, snarling hostage flick you’ve seen a thousand times. Denzel Washington is the calm, cool and collected city employee whose ethical veracity is tested as he tries to put his kids through college. John Travolta is the intelligent, overconfident ex-convict who thinks that everything will play out according to his wily little plan.

When their lives intersect, the plot thickens and allows both of them to indulge in performances that are essentially predictable by their standards. Washington has played the devoted family man before and Travolta has been living off the slimy, silver-tongued criminal persona since “Face/Off,” so while their sardonic banter is fun to watch, the overall product would be best served on DVD.

- ** ½ out 4

*For the record, in no way, shape or form was this review based on Hasbro Action Figures

Comedian George Carlin used to spend countless hours ranting and raving about the manufacturing of American bullshit and I can’t help but think that his contempt was inspired by Michael Bay’s brazenly haphazard approach to movie making. I say this not because of some misplaced sense of animosity I have toward Bay, but because I didn’t buy one second of his latest commercial mind eraser “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Seriously, am I the only one who thinks a five-year-old in his bedroom could’ve come up with a more compelling narrative?

Then again, why should I even bother exhausting so much vitriol on a film that rakes in money faster than a prostitute at the Bunny Ranch? It seems that whenever audiences lock on to something, they throw all rationality to the wind and convince themselves that a bloated, wasteful excuse for a summer popcorn movie is worthy of their devotion.

Personally, I approach a Michael Bay picture like something from M. Night Shayamalan in that I never let hope get it in the way of something I know will be more bologna than filet.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. I know I might be violating some fanboy law by saying this, but I don’t find the “Transformers” mythology to be the least bit interesting.

To me, the robots are predictable, the plot takes itself too seriously and the actors have nothing to do except run around screaming bloody murder. There’s no inherent drama in the story, because Bay has yet to figure out how to stage a scene of genuine emotion. He can, however, explore the heavenly anatomy of Megan Fox with expert precision, so I guess he’s not too far gone in that respect.

Shia LaBeouf tries like crazy to hold the film together, but the objective is really just to blow up as many things as possible and leave the audience in awe over American military technology. I was constantly reminded of those navy commercials with Godsmack blaring in the background, which is okay to a certain extent, but I could’ve easily stayed home and watched the commercial on YouTube without spending $7.50 on a ticket. Had Spielberg directed, I think he could’ve made this work, but Bay’s vision feels like someone vomited their imagination all over the screen and called it a day.

I’d like to think that with a little focus and professionalism, Bay can return to being a must-see director, because “Bad Boys,” “The Rock” and “The Island” were all quite good in their own hyperactive way. I would also put forth the notion that the audience is as much to blame as anybody, but that’s something I’ve touched on many times before, so I won’t delve into that here. That’s enough for now. I need to go find a tighter shirt.

- * ½ out of 4

The Girlfriend Experience and Terminator Salvation

2009-06-19T16:37:00.002-04:00

If you’ve ever wondered how call girls have weathered the economic collapse, Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” is the film for you. It follows the mundane day-to-day operations of a high-priced escort (Sasha Grey) who continues to rake in the dough while her clients complain about the stock market’s cataclysmic demise. She’s your typical materialistic pod person, motivated by a desire to have enough money to escape the world she finds such an utter disappointment. The relationship with her live-in boyfriend feels more like a fiscal arrangement than a genuine partnership and most of the picture consists of boring anecdotes surrounding their longing for social independence.

For an adult film star, Grey doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of acting and I couldn’t care less about another story diarizing the “woe is me” lifestyle of an upper echelon prostitute. I admire Soderbergh’s willingness to experiment with alternative techniques, but it doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about the profession. It assumes we’re actually interested in a joyless hooker with a heart of stone and I wasn’t about to let it draw me in with its flashy camera angles. If you ask me, it’s a snoozer just waiting to be discovered on DVD.

- ** out of 4

My biggest issue with McG’s “Terminator Salvation” is that it feels more like a “Transformers” scrap heap than the “Terminator” we’ve come to know and love. All the horror and menacing obscurity is ditched in favor of gawky, earsplitting battle scenes designed to make you forget about the nonexistence of drama and sense of direction. Not even the halfhearted presence of Christian Bale could make things more engaging and, when that happens, you know you’re in for a long evening.

I remember feeling chilled to the bone following my first viewing of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (I was seven), but walking out of this I just felt distraught that such a riveting concept could be reduced to another overproduced summer let-down. I’ll admit that a few of the action sequences were outstanding and I did think Sam Worthington did his best with the limited development he was allowed. In the end though, everything seemed too hollow and diluted for my taste, so I guess all I can say to McG is better luck next time.

- ** out of 4

Days 2 and 3 - Jazz and Indian Cuisine

2009-06-07T13:25:00.000-04:00

I've really had nothing to complain about for the last two days, so something unusual must be in the air.

Thursday - I went to see former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams perform a four-song set at Borders, which was quite a departure from my hard rock affinity, but very entertaining nonetheless. His approach to the guitar is cordial rather than in-your-face, so each song's Puerto Rican mystique translated beautifully to the unplugged format and left the audience wanting more. Despite the electric disdain I have for waiting in lines, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet one of my childhood heroes, so I decided to stay after and weather the storm.

Friday - Not much to report other than my first experience with Indian food, which was surprisingly pain free. I don't know how eager I am to give it another go but, for one night, the Tandoori chicken with white rice and spiced broccoli definitely hit the spot.

Also, I went to see Todd Phillips's new comedy "The Hangover," which I'll delve into at a later date, so stay tuned.

The Tragically Hip dazzles Artpark again

2009-06-04T15:15:00.004-04:00

Sure, I could throw out a million little adroit adjectives to describe what the atmosphere was like inside the Artpark Mainstage Theatre on Tuesday night, but I don’t think all that fancy schmancy regress would begin to do justice to the experience. What occurred was transcendent. What occurred was sublime. What occurred goes beyond the thinking man’s tendency to rationalize all the world’s idiosyncrasies. What occurred was a concert from Kingston, Ont.’s own The Tragically Hip.

Sporting a jet-black suit reminiscent of Ringo Starr’s “Abbey Road” attire, bombastic front man Gordon Downie graced the stage determined to make everyone in attendance feel just a little bit better than when they came in and it certainly didn’t take long to make that happen.

Whether it was the melancholic yearning of “The Depression Suite” or the raucous vivacity of “Family Band,” the group as a collective unit seemed to be having a blast on stage and sounded tighter than their last few tours combined. At this point in their career, they’re just five guys whose abundant respect for each other fuels a creative fire to the point that nothing is too far out of reach.

Led by Downie’s refreshing, borderline-epileptic persona, the band proceeded to tear into gem after endlessly emotive gem and had the appreciative crowd in the palm of their hand for the remainder of the evening.

Bobby Baker and Paul Langlois are consummate professionals when in command of their axes, but even they managed to shed a smile here and there to acknowledge the awesomeness of the event. To say that their playing on this night was nothing short of flawless would imply that we expected any different, so I’ll just say that the more they played, the less I started to worry about what abominable condition the parking lot would be in after the show. I simply didn’t care.

Other first set highlights included a stirring rendition of “Gift Shop” and a rare appearance of “Throwing Off Glass,” but it wasn’t until the second set began that the immensity of the show was solidified.

To keep things new, the band decided to kick off every second set of this tour with a three-song acoustic breakdown to further add to the intimacy level. For this particular show, they chose “Thompson Girl,” “Fiddler’s Green,” and “Ahead by a Century as the tunes receiving the unplugged treatment and, judging from the crowd’s elation, you would’ve thought that they had just won the lottery.

Actually, they did in a sense, because “Fiddler’s Green” still strikes an emotional chord with Downie and seldom finds its way into a set. The fact that they broke it out speaks volumes about the integrity and unpredictability they’ve come to espouse through the years and the audience let them know it every step of the way.

If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the thunderous rhythm section of Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay, don’t worry. Since it’s so easy to get lost in Downie’s priceless theatrical stylings, I wanted to give them their due in a way that often goes underappreciated. The ability of Fay to pulverize the skins into submission gets taken for granted as something that will always be there and the fact that he’s a virtuous drummer often gets lost in the mix.

As for Sinclair, he’s always struck me as a reserved guy who lets the fluidity of his playing speak for itself and I’d say he’s found the perfect niche to conquer.

If you had told me on Monday that “Gift Shop,” “Bobcaygeon,” “Fiddler’s Green,” Nautical Disaster” and “Grace, Too” would all make appearances, I probably would’ve laughed in your face. Walking out of the theatre Tuesday night, I felt like I had just seen something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

That’s how it is with a Hip show. It feels less like a concert and more like an exclusive gathering for 2,400 of their closest friends that everyone else missed the boat for.

With three shows to go, one can only imagine the room for expansion, because if the opener was any indication, this four-night stand will indeed become the stuff legends are made of.

Day 1 - Why Flying Sucks

2009-06-04T15:15:00.003-04:00

The flight itself is usually at the forefront of everyone's contempt, but my journey actually began at the security checkpoint. Never in a million years did I think I would raise a white flag, but apparently Aveeno Sensitive Skin Shave Lotion is evidence of Jihadist tendencies, because the cheerful bunch at the scanner decided that the public's right to feel safe on an airplane supersedes my desire to have a healthy, natural-looking complexion. The nerve!

So I'm sitting in coach and I can already feel the bumps starting to emerge from my jugular, but musing over it doesn't help and won't make the skin any smoother.

Luckily, I had two crossword puzzles at my disposal, so I was pretty content for the thirty minutes it took to solve them both. You never know how skilled you are until you have nothing to do except contemplate the various synonyms for colloquial.

I became so desperate for excitement that I started to envy John Lithgow (or William Shatner for all you Serling purists) in "Twilight Zone: The Movie," because at least he had that grotesque creature out on the wing to occupy his mind. All I had was a notebook, a magazine and a half-empty can of Welch's Cran-Apple to satisfy my creative yearnings.

I picked up a copy of this week's New York magazine and found solace in an article chronicling the history of self-loathing Jewish comedy, so maybe the constant griping of Larry David has rubbed off on me.

I think that's enough for now, because I have a feeling that the ultimate fighter to my right will kill me if I don't turn the light off soon.

I'll leave you with the following observations and tidbits:

When Minneapolis refers to itself as "the land of a thousand lakes," they're not joking.

If you happen to be flying Delta in a few weeks and find a decomposed lung lying around, it probably belongs to the guy sitting behind me who couldn't seem to shake an obnoxious coughing spit that lasted forever.

And finally, do terrorists have sensitive skin?

Gomorra and The Soloist

2009-05-19T17:19:00.002-04:00

The nihilistic temperament of Matteo Garrone’s Italian gangster piece “Gomorra” is established early and often through a series of hellish collisions that make the depraved dealings of Michael Corleone seem like a Walt Disney production. Now, this is by no means a better film than “The Godfather,” but the lack of music as well the absence of alluring characters make the execution feel colder and less operatic than anything Coppola could’ve arranged.

These wise guys don’t drive Cadillacs, they don’t wear finely tailored zoot suits and they certainly wouldn’t spend 30 minutes a week spilling their guts to a psychiatrist a la Tony Soprano. They’re motivated by greed and the desire to control a dilapidated region of Naples that is there for the taking, so anyone standing in their way is just begging to be taken out with the morning trash.

Based on Roberto Saviano’s non-fiction account of his time with the Camorra crime syndicate, Garrone’s film presents the day-to-day business of various thugs in a cinéma vérité style that makes you feel as if what you’re seeing is nothing less than the real thing. The people are ordinary, the outlook is bleak and the hits are committed with frightening indifference. My only issue is that we’re given no reason to care about these characters and therefore must sit through the entire two plus hours with the same indifference as the miscreants we’re watching.

- *** ½ out of 4

Despite its aphoristic similarities to 2007’s “Resurrecting the Champ,” Joe Wright’s maudlin, look-at-me Oscar bait “The Soloist” operates somewhat effectively on two levels. The first is an inspiring tale of two men whose unlikely friendship awakens both of them to an assiduous spirit not experienced since their early days. The second provides the audience with a harrowing glimpse into the issue of homelessness in America, which of course is what urged Wright to tell this story in the first place.

I’d like to say that Universal’s decision to abandon last year’s November release date was a mistake, that the brilliant, soulful performance of Robert Downey Jr. would’ve propelled it to award season glory. However, I just can’t do it. What should’ve been a fully realized character study is nothing more than a sometimes great, but mostly dull and by-the-book account of a societal outcast being thrust back into a spotlight he’s not quite ready to respond to.

Like I said before, Downey’s expressive work as Los Angeles Times reporter Steve Lopez is essentially the only thing this film has going for it. He’s hilarious when he wants to be, vulnerable when he needs to be and, unlike co-star Jamie Foxx, presents a well-rounded character with a purpose that the audience can latch on to. When he comes across a schizophrenic cellist living on the streets of Los Angeles, his journalistic ambition takes over and he’s immediately pondering ways to bring this man’s story to the masses.

It turns out that Nathaniel Ayers Jr. (Foxx) was a former child prodigy who dropped out of Julliard for reasons known only to him and the voices in his head. He went from being a classical musician on the rise to a mumbling nomad trying to survive the hard-boiled streets of LA’s Skid Row district and Lopez wants the public to know why.

On paper, the story is as compelling as can be, but Foxx is entirely too one-note to offer any true moments of transcendence. Much of his dialogue consists of disjointed prattle, so it’s not until half way through that we begin to see the potential for prominence he possesses and, by then, I wasn’t in the mood to see it through. I know I’ve said this before, but it does seem like a lifetime ago that Foxx delivered dazzling work in “Collateral” and “Ray,” so here’s hoping the Academy Award-winning talent has a lot more left in the tank.

The conclusion is predictable as expected and the lovely Catherine Keener is relegated to a throwaway role that doesn’t offer much other than a female presence. We’ve come to expect more from Joe Wright (“Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement”) and, frankly, he let us down.

- ** ½ out of 4

2009 Summer Movie Preview

2009-05-09T17:34:00.001-04:00

2009 the number another summer, get down
Sound of the funky drummer - Public Enemy

May

“Star Trek” – Ever since his work on 1998’s “Armageddon,” J.J. Abrams has been carving his own little niche in the Sci-Fi genre and early reviews of this series reboot suggest a vivacious concoction of fanboy rapture that only he could manufacture. I recall seeing the teaser prior to the Abrams-produced “Cloverfield” and not thinking much of it, so here’s hoping that the overall presentation will be accessible to those who can’t rattle off the life story of every character to grace the Starship Enterprise.

“Angels and Demons” – I don’t think I’m alone in saying that 2006’s “The Da Vinci Code” left something to be desired. The dialogue, pacing and pseudo-chemistry between Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou just didn’t live up to expectations and director Ron Howard appeared to be sleepwalking his way to the payoff. Howard has proven on numerous occasions to be a superb filmmaker, but other than “Apollo 13,” summer blockbusters just aren’t his thing. Although I’ve been told that this prequel is the superior novel of the two, I still find myself hesitant to expect something truly remarkable.

“Terminator Salvation” – I know it’s just innocent conjecture, but rumor has it that Christian Bale’s performance as John Connor doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of palpable substance. If that’s indeed the case, my interest in this film is evaporating quicker than when I first heard that glorified noisemaker McG was going to assume directorial duties. The desire by Hollywood to continuously re-hash old favorites ran out of steam years ago and I refuse to accept that this is the best they have to offer.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” – Say what you will about the first installment, but I actually enjoyed it and laughed often enough to justify the ticket price. I’m not expecting Ben Stiller to reach the same comedic heights that last year’s brilliant parody “Tropic Thunder,” but the addition of Amy Adams, Bill Hader (genius) and Jonah Hill to the cast should make it an event movie that both kids and parents can enjoy.

“Drag Me to Hell” – Judging from the trailer, director Sam Raimi appears to have livened up and returned to his B-movie roots with a macabre tale of a loan officer whose dream lifestyle is about to end on a nefarious note. His “Spider-Man” days were certainly successful, but there’s something very “Evil Dead”-esque about this film that has me counting down the days.

“Up” – Everyone has their favorite Pixar creation (“Ratatouille” would be mine) and I’m sure that within days of its release, the journey of a crotchety 78-year-old named Carl Fredricksen will find itself at the top of many Best of ’09 lists. Come to think of it, have the wizards at Pixar ever made a film that wasn’t universally lauded?

June

“Land of the Lost” – After clunkers like “Semi-Pro” and “Step Brothers,” I think it’s safe to say that the Will Ferrell comedy wagon has hit a speed bump. I may be alone in this, but other than 2006’s “Stranger Than Fiction,” I don’t think he’s given a great comedic performance since his uncredited appearance in “Wedding Crashers.” What used to be funny has now become musty and played-out, so I would like to think that a big-screen adaptation of a vintage television show is just what he needs to get him out of the funk. Oh wait, didn’t he already try that with “Bewitched?”

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” – Apparently, John Travolta is starring opposite Denzel Washington in this Tony Scott-directed story of a hijacked NYC subway train. I’m just as surprised as you are, because I could’ve sworn that Travolta’s acting career ended following 2000’s “Battlefield Earth.” Maybe I was mistaken.

“Year One” – Jack Black and Michael Cera team up in this biblical era farce as two losers who find themselves banished from their village and forced to embark on an epic journey through the ancient world. It’s directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Judd Apatow, so expect the antics to be crude, outrageous and ultimately hit-or-miss.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” – I think I’m one of the only people in existence who hasn’t yet sat down to watch the first “Transformers” flick, so there’s not much I can say except “Hooray for Michael Bay!” Or not.

July

“Public Enemies” – Michael Mann’s last picture was the flaccid “Miami Vice” in which Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx appeared lost in search of a better, more fully realized reason for exhausting so much energy (other than Gong Li). Somehow, I don’t think Johnny Depp and Christian Bale will have that problem, because they both appear to give performances worthy of further discussion. Mann is at his best when tackling stories of suave criminality and the legend of John Dillinger sounds like just the ticket for his return to form.

“Bruno” – Sacha Baron Cohen is out once again to make his case as the most fearless comedian working today and I think he may achieve that status hands down. As Austrian fashionista Bruno, he humiliates presidential candidate Ron Paul, has an awkward run-in with Paula Abdul and attempts to join the Alabama National Guard. Oh the possibilities.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” – Hopefully, the delay wasn’t a sign of things to come, because this has the potential to be the biggest smash of the summer. When we last saw the boy wizard, he was grieving after the death of Sirius Black and starting to realize what he would have to become in order to stop an all-powerful being like Voldemort. I find the darkness to be the series’ invaluable attribute and can’t wait to see Radcliffe get medieval on those meddling Death Eaters.

“Funny People” – This has the potential to be either the best or worst movie of the season. Written and directed by Judd Apatow, this raunch-fest with a heart follows the career of two comedians who form a bond after one of them is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The casting of Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann is promising as usual, but the length may become an issue if the plot starts to sag à la “Knocked Up.”

August

“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” – Director Stephen Sommers brings a decent resumé (“The Mummy” and “Van Helsing”) with him to this live-action adaptation, but the eclectic collection of actors is what peaks my interest. Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Christopher Eccleston are all poised to challenge “Transformers 2” for the title of “Best Movie Made From a 1980’s Cartoon.”

“Inglourious Basterds” – I’m really hoping that Quentin Tarantino’s first film since 2007’s “Death Proof” is as fiercely composed as the marketing campaign has made it out to be.

“Final Destination: Death Trip” – It’s the fourth installment of “Final Destination.” It’s in 3-D and directed by the same guy who brought us “Snakes on a Plane.” Oh joy.

“H2” - Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” was a grimy, sadistic piece of snuff that did nothing to make we want to endure a sequel, but nothing screams summer like a psychologically unhinged maniac looking to slice and dice his way to a paycheck.

The Great Buck Howard and Tyson

2009-04-29T19:22:00.001-04:00

Only an actor as quirky and idiosyncratic as John Malkovich could’ve tackled a character like “The Great Buck Howard.” His insistence on capturing every annoying, arrogant and overbearing attribute of this once-heralded mentalist is what keeps the film from becoming just another glimpse into how some former stars fade not-so-gracefully into obscurity. I doubt the Academy will take notice, but through the first four months of 2009, Malkovich has turned in what I think is among the top two performances of the year (Joaquin Phoenix in “Two Lovers” being the other).

Produced by Tom Hanks, “Howard” follows the dwindling career of Buck Howard, an aging mentalist who once performed more than 60 times on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” only to find himself playing to half-full community centers following the coronation of Jay Leno as the new late-night mainstay.

Everyone around him knows that the gig is up and the whole act has become one pathetic ode to a time when the lights were just a little bit brighter. We get the sense that Buck knows his 15 minutes have come and passed yet he still charges on with all the brio and profanity you’d expect from a Hollywood prima donna.

When he hires an assistant played by Colin Hanks, their relationship is torrid from the start as Buck’s demands reach intolerable levels and Hanks does his best to keep up with Malkovich’s razor-sharp comedic timing.

As Tom Hanks’s son, the expectations are certainly high and Colin doesn’t falter under the pressure.

He’s likeable enough to make us believe that a kid like that would go to law school and later have the guts to tell his parents he dropped out to become a writer.

After months of pretending to support Buck’s desire for resurgence, he finally gets a break in the form of a publicist played by the wonderful Emily Blunt. From the moment Blunt appears, the story gets a much-needed boost in terms of holding the audience’s attention and the quality of Buck’s stage show is finally solidified.

While watching his act, we actually begin to understand how he was once the most sought-after mentalist around, because his tricks are perfectly executed. His most famous feat involves having his payment hidden somewhere in the audience and then finding it without the assistance of any sound or video equipment. Every night he does the trick and every night he finds the money, so for a while he appears to be back on the road to riches after all.

This is by no means a mainstream movie, so don’t be upset when you find out that the laughs don’t come as often as you’d like. Malkovich thrives on the sexual ambiguity of the character and doesn’t really care if people find him difficult to deal with. The public loves a comeback story and despite Buck’s prickly persona, he’s still a guy worth rooting for.

- *** ½ out of 4

You’ve seen the carnage, read about the decadence and heard the profanity-laced tirades, but how well do you really know former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson? In the new documentary “Tyson,” director James Toback hopes to enhance your familiarity with the “baddest man on the planet” by portraying him as a sympathetic figure born and bred on the hardened streets of Brooklyn. Tyson employs a Gorbachev-esque style of transparency when telling the camera about the criminality and sexual conquests that got him to where he is today and his honesty is what makes this film worthy of your attention.

As he rattles on about everything from childhood to Evander Holyfield, the whole thing takes on a kind of confessional quality in which Tyson bares his inner most soul for all to see. Instead of an animalistic archetype, he becomes a multifaceted human being capable of acknowledging his mistakes and praying for forgiveness, which those around him view as a vast improvement from his younger days.

Does Toback condone or downplay the seriousness of Tyson’s behavior? No, but the nature of their relationship implies a degree of respect for a man who has always done things his own way regardless of the consequences. His actions in the ring are just as fascinating as his actions outside of it, so prepare to hear the story directly from the teary-eyed source himself.

Is it guaranteed to change your opinion? Of course not, but it surely influenced mine.

- *** ½ out of 4

Record Theatre: Still kicking more than 30 years later

2009-04-14T18:33:00.003-04:00

It’s 1976. President Gerald Ford is nearing the end of his first and only term, the face-melting wallop of “Frampton Comes Alive” can be heard blaring from stereos all across America and an independent venture known as Record Theatre first opens its doors to the people of Western New York.

In today’s technological market, it’s hard to imagine a record store playing such a vital role in the community, but at that moment in time, the shop served as a link between fans and the recording artists they loved.

Billed as “the biggest music store on Earth” with nearly 25,000-square-feet, it was able to single-handedly change the way music was brought to the masses in Buffalo.

“What I liked about Record Theatre was that they had stock imports from Canada and tons of local music,” says former employee Christine K. “It used to be the place to go for new releases, Saturday morning specials and even imports.”

Although its original location was at the corner of Main and Lafayette in Downtown Buffalo, it soon expanded to six locations scattered between Hamburg and North Tonawanda. The ‘70s and ‘80s proved to be an extremely profitable era for the store and many fans find that success to be a direct representation of the quality of music during that period.

“You’d pour over the lyrics back then looking to find insight as to what Jackson Browne was thinking when he wrote 'The Pretender' or what exactly 'the pompetus of love' was anyway,” says long-time music fan Ruth Eger. “I’m much too old for today’s music.”

Eger’s fervent reminiscence of the time is echoed by Record Theatre’s current Head Buyer Brandon Delmont, who has gotten an up close and personal view of just how drastically the industry has changed through the years.

“Nowadays, it’s become super fast to either plug your friend’s iPod into your computer and take all of their songs, or go to a blog and download a file,” says Delmont. “Within minutes, you have an artist’s entire catalog and it’s free. I really think that this has been the reason for the decline in sales.”

Delmont’s dismay with the present situation is evident in his tone as he goes on and on about how little specialized knowledge people have about the music they listen to, as well as how the Internet has altered the way most business is conducted.

While the onset of iTunes and other digital programs has signaled the end for some record stores, Record Theatre has decided to roll with the changes.

“As far as the Internet goes, it has been a way to connect with people that do not want to come into the store,” Delmont adds. “We have an e-mail list that we can run special coupons and promote certain artists/events directly to people that do enjoy the physical product.”

When it comes to online sales, Delmont leaves no area uncovered.

“We have a division that sells products on Amazon, EBay and half.com. Where we once had to depend on people to come to us, now we can get to them online. Now, with out-of-print and rare products we can make good money.”

His optimism about the future is a rarity among the record store community, but he firmly believes that the personal touch and camaraderie of the in-store atmosphere can’t be duplicated by any other format.

“Guys like me that studied music are the ones that end up with the knowledge to work in a store like ours,” he jubilantly declares. “I try to pass that attitude to the younger people that we hire, because they don’t necessarily have to be encyclopedias. They just need to retain information and help customers find what they need.”

Those familiar with Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel “High Fidelity” can probably relate to what Delmont is saying and Record Theatre even features a quote from the book on their web site. To those who haven’t read the book, it centers on a record store owner and how his obsession with music ends up influencing everything in his daily life.

“The customers, employees and artists sharing knowledge and tastes with each other, that’s where the community of a record store really works” says Delmont.

Despite having only three locations left, Record Theatre doesn’t plan on going away anytime soon. No matter how things play out with the industry, it's determined to continue getting music to the public in the most efficient manner possible.

To celebrate Record Store Day on April 18, Delmont urged people to come out to support the independent scene and celebrate the art of music while indulging in live performances from some of the area’s finest local bands and, as usual, they delivered the goods.

“At the end of the day, people will always want to go to a physical store because we have a basic need to be social and want to do something with our time. I love getting away from everything and hunting down records, it’s a great waste of time!"

Is the album dead?

2009-04-02T12:12:00.004-04:00

If you were shown a list of the ten best selling albums of 2008, how many of them would actually be a part of your own personal collection? How many would you honestly admit to having an intimate, well-rounded knowledge of?

Those of you scrambling to recall even one of the potential titles, you’re not alone.

Nielsen SoundScan reports that 2008’s top ten artists sold more than 40 million fewer albums than the top ten of 2000 and the decline doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon.

Apparently, consumers don’t find Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift and Kid Rock to be overly deserving of their time and money.

“In my opinion, the main reason for dwindling album sales is file sharing. All it takes
is for one guy in his dorm to find the new Peter, Bjorn & John and e-mail it to all of his friends weeks before the actual release date” says Brandon Delmont, head buyer for Record Theatre. “What could have been 50 sales of the album turns into zero sales at the record shop.”

The onset of programs such as iTunes and LimeWire tends to support Delmont’s popular assertion, but a closer look reveals something very different indeed. Consider the aforementioned Swift and Kid Rock.

To fans, they represent the pinnacle of American music at this point in time, but to outsiders they’re nothing more than glorified karaoke hounds that produce skin-deep pop songs aimed at hijacking a piece of your wallet.

“It’s so hard to find good bands these days” says college freshman Ben Thuman. “If people actually listen to and buy this crap, nothing within the system will ever change.”

Thuman’s passionate reflection is just a microcosm of what is happening in today’s market. For evidence of how differently some artists approach the business, look no further than Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and pop sensations The Jonas Brothers.

When Vedder composed the soundtrack for Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild,” he was driven by a strong dedication to the craft and ended up with an album that Rolling Stone writer David Fricke called “tracks that temper the romance of absolute freedom with an eerie foreboding.”

When The Jonas Brothers compose an album, they’re catering to an entirely different demographic and therefore aim to create catchy tunes that will make more money in the short-term.

Whatever people think of today’s pop artists, their commercial status hints at the ongoing shift from producing complex albums to simply making radio-friendly singles that fans can download in 30 seconds flat.

“Long gone are the days of bringing home an album with thought-provoking lyrics on a sheet of glossy paper tucked inside the jacket” says long-time fan Ruth Eger, when expressing her dismay with the current musical climate. “I remember when pop/rock/soul music had edgy lyrics and an instrumental bridge that everyone would be humming in the car.”

Eger isn’t the only one who sees a problem with today’s scene. Thuman also longs for a return to the days of great drumming and virtuoso guitar work.

“You really have to look hard for bands that are capable of making music that involves talent and originality” he says. “Most of them are more interested in making money than making good music and it’s a rip-off.”

Although the negativity abounds, Delmont doesn’t feel that mainstream music has dropped off all that much.

“I think it’s always sort of sucked. I can remember a gentleman in college that was in his 30s at the time and I would tell him how great the Beatles were. He said he never listened to them, because they were too “bubblegum” back then” says Delmont. “You’re always going to find great art, music and literature on the edges of society. You just have to look for it.”

Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival

2009-03-19T11:42:00.001-04:00

For 52 years, the Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival has offered residents and tourists alike the opportunity to indulge in some good old-fashioned fun, food and camaraderie toward the end of the summer season. Whether it’s playing games in the midway, listening to live music or simply basking in the local scenery, the event caters to people of all ages who are looking to take advantage of everything this area has to offer.

“We’ve been fortunate to add events through the years to make the festival bigger and involve more people and families. It’s grown to be a spectacular event,” says Festival Chairman Jerry Wolfgang, when discussing how popular the occasion has become since its inception. “We’ve always maintained over the years that this is for families.”

Wolfgang’s emphasis on family is cemented by the absence of a beer tent which, for many festivals, would mean a major hit to overall revenue, but Wolfgang isn’t worried. He points out that the Kiwanis Club alone uses “13,000 pounds of fruit to make the peach shortcake” and that the coveted dessert has a reputation for selling out rather quickly, so the fundraising efforts should be just fine throughout the three-day period.

In the past, the question of venue has come up among concerned members of the community, but this year the inquiries were laid to rest early.

At their Feb. 17 meeting, The Village of Lewiston Board of Trustees passed a motion to allow the Kiwanis Club to once again hold the event at Academy Park, which many residents feel is the best fit.

“Having it at the plateau was too congested and drew too many complaints,” says Trustee Michael Marra, referring to one of the festival’s prior locations. “Things such as facility contracts and other insurance issues can be complicated, so Academy Park seems to be the most accommodating.”

Trustee William Geiben also supports the use of Academy Park, saying that local businesses “wouldn’t be able to survive without festivals and spending from visitors,” so it’s important to create a situation where both attendees and vendors can view the festival as a success.

Although the festival has evolved, Geiben also says it’s important to remember that its original purpose was to support the farmers by promoting their annual peach crop. With vendors poised to go through 13,000 pounds of peaches, the initial intention remains firmly in tact.

Time: Friday Sept. 11 (5 p.m. – 11 p.m.)
Saturday Sept. 12 (11 a.m. - 11 p.m.)
Sunday Sept. 13 (11 a.m. – 10 p.m.)

Admission: Free

The Last House on the Left

2009-03-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

With a piece of cringe-inducing torture porn such as "The Last House on the Left," you know exactly what you're getting. F-bombs will drop, grass will be smoked and people will be offed in the most grotesque fashion imaginable. That said, the result of this latest horror reimagining is surprisingly effective to the point that Wes Craven's 1972 original looks almost tame in comparison.

What I found interesting about the new film is that its tone is 180 degrees different than what Craven was going for. His work had an absurd sense of Manson-esque anarchy that made you unsure whether or not the obvious comedic elements should be laughed at, but the insanity here leaves no time for antics. When these girls embark on their boneheaded ganja quest, director Dennis Iliadis wastes no time testing the audience's tolerance for moral turpitude.

Those familiar with the original know what happens next, so I'll spare you the grimy details. The bottom line is that if you have the stomach for it, it's actually a pretty well-made, albeit disturbing addition to the genre.

- ** 1/2 out of 4 - It would've been 3, but that final scene was completely superfluous.

Watchmen

2009-03-13T14:55:00.004-04:00

Disclaimer - I've yet to read the graphic novel, so every reaction is based solely on the film itself.

Now that I’ve had some time to digest all 162 minutes of Zack Snyder’s ponderous adaptation of “Watchmen,” I think it’s time to sort through the wreckage of this ambitious yet terminally flawed project. During the miraculously executed opening montage, I kept thinking that I was about to experience something truly fanciful and reflective, but it was only a matter of time before delight turned to despair. I wanted to like it.

Actually, I thought pretty highly of it walking out of the theatre and was eager to see it again just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Alas, reality set in and what I initially believed to be an out-of-this-world piece of pulp noir was reduced to just another insipid riff on the superhero’s dilemma.

Instead of serving up a standard review, I decided to highlight what I liked and didn’t like about this film separately, because I’m admittedly a little unsure of the long-term impact this picture will have on critics and fanboys alike. But enough small talk. Let’s get down to business.

Likes –

The Opening Sequence – Set to Bob Dylan’s anthemic “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” the first ten minutes provide a splendid Gump-esque glimpse into the history of the Watchmen and how their intervention in such events as Vietnam and Watergate helped shape the bizarro 1985 in which the story is set. Watching Dr. Manhattan singlehandedly eliminate the North Vietnamese army is one of the more amusing sights here, but the coolness of it all is too great to last as Snyder is never able to recapture the thrill of this first act.

Rorschach – I’m probably not the first (or the last) to say this, but Jackie Earle Haley owns this movie. As the resident sociopath of the troupe, he narrates the film with an alarming tenor reminiscent of Christian Bale’s bat voice and patrols the streets looking to eviscerate every sordid scumbag in sight. It’s when his inkblot mask comes off that we really get the sense of an angst-ridden soul out for justice, but however fanatically blood-spattered the unmasking period is, the intrigue quickly evaporates once the mask goes back on.

The Comedian – He’s pompous, loutish, and despicable, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan dives into this character with reckless abandon. Although he’s shown mostly through flashbacks, we get the sense that Edward Blake enjoys being a boozing womanizer just as much as a supposed hero, because saving people just doesn’t feel as gratifying without a little something for the effort. Seeing as how most of the other characters are dull and uninspiring, I wouldn’t mind seeing a film based on The Comedian himself. At least that would have some soul.

The Soundtrack – Other than the aforementioned Dylan tune, here are some of the other songs littered throughout the film:

“All Along the Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix
“The Sounds of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel
“Hallelujah” – Leonard Cohen (During the sex scene, no less)
“Me and Bobby McGee” – Janis Joplin
“I’m Your Boogie Man” – K.C. and the Sunshine Band
“Unforgettable” – Nat King Cole

I enjoyed this eclectic mix of music a great deal, but still found the placement of certain songs to be awkward and clichéd.

Zack Snyder – From what diehard fans tell me, “Watchmen” is the most faithful comic book adaptation ever made and Snyder should be commended for taking on such a risky project. I agree with the latter to a certain extent, because if it’s really identical to the novel, it’s not Snyder’s fault that the material doesn’t translate well to the screen. I enjoyed his work on “Dawn of the Dead” very much and found “300” entertaining enough, so I don’t think it’s fair to blame everything on him. He made the film he wanted and, for me, it just didn’t pan out the way I hoped it would.

Dislikes –

Nite Owl, Silk Spectre II, Ozymandias, and Dr. Manhattan – None of these characters did anything to enhance my experience and I could’ve easily done without them.

Patrick Wilson – He’s a fine actor with a résumé that includes “Hard Candy,” “Little Children” and “Lakeview Terrace,” but he feels wasted behind a whiny character that resembles a middle-school science teacher more than a conflicted vigilante.

Malin Akerman – “Her interpretation of this character teeters between adorable and offensively annoying, but if that’s indeed how the character was written, she’s more than done her job.”

I wrote the above line about Akerman in my review of “The Heartbreak Kid” back in 2007 and I think it manages to sum up her work as Silk Spectre II just the same.

Matthew Goode – I don’t watch the show, but I have to think that the conniving women on “Gossip Girl” exhibit more sparkling malice that Goode does as Ozymandias.

Billy Crudup – The role of Dr. Manhattan doesn’t require much emotion, so I felt Crudup’s range wasn’t tested enough to warrant discussion. He’s buried by subpar effects and deserved better material.

Special Effects – The much-anticipated visual effects resulted in a mixed bag. At times, they’re the most incredible display you’ve ever seen and at others, they look like something out of Roland Emmerich’s “10,000 B.C.”

For example, the scene in which Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre II are having a discussion on Mars is just awful.

I think my biggest issue with the film is that too many stretches exist where I was left wondering why the creators let things slip away so quickly. The promise established by the first few scenes was tremendous to say the least and for a project that took this long to be developed, it should’ve been much more consequential.

- ** ½ out of 4

Taken and Coraline

2009-02-25T17:02:00.002-05:00

At less than 90 minutes, Liam Neeson's latest action vehicle "Taken" sure doesn't feel like much. Just as we begin to enjoy seeing the usually reserved thespian annihilate everyone in sight, the film comes to a squeaky clean conclusion that, in my mind, hinders its overall credibility. Are we really supposed to believe that he finds his daughter that easily amid a torrential sea of European sex slavery? And why does he only rescue his daughter when the number of hopelessly drug-addled women appears to be growing by the second?

These questions and more swirled around my head as I watched whatever plot there was unfold, but I don't think accuracy is the most important aspect here.

In today's flooded market, it's unrealistic to expect something wholly original every time out, so director Pierre Morel is forgiven for adopting the "high on violence, light on story" philosophy that so many filmmakers cling to. He has crafted a wildly crisp torture flick that doesn't aspire to be anything more and in the wake of characters such as Oskar Schindler and Dr. Alfred Kinsey, it's refreshing to see Neeson unleash the fury.

- *** out of 4

Henry Selick's "Coraline" is the first must-see film of 2009. Adapted from Neil Gaiman's book of the same name, it's a phantasmagorical collage of Burton-esque dreamscapes designed to make you laugh and squirm with equal tenacity. The stunning beauty of Selick's laborious stop-motion animation style is amplified by a 3-D format that is used to enhance the experience rather than serve as a gimmick trying to put people in the seats.

Spry voice work from Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and Ian McShane (HBO's Deadwood) provides a perfect blend of childlike wonderment and over-the-top wickedness as Coraline descends into an alternate universe full of voluptuous acrobats and other macabre oddballs.

Sure, there are stretches where the narrative slows down and takes on a moralistic sensitivity, but this film is a rare instance in which children and adults can indulge in the surreal without being bored out of their minds.

Now that's a feat!

- *** 1/2 out of 4

A-Rod

2009-02-25T17:00:00.001-05:00

Another day, another fallen hero in the world of sports. Sure, it was bound to surface sooner or later, but the timing of A-Rod’s latest steroid debacle smells an awful lot like someone’s malevolent attempt at eradicating whatever hope baseball fans had left. Think about it. He was supposed to be the game’s saving grace, the naturally gifted slugger who would eclipse every record in sight and make people forget that Barry Bonds ever put on a uniform.

Instead, he’s destined to become just another anabolically-enhanced mega man who cracked under the pressure and put the game further into a sea of uncertainty and anguish. The fact that the test results were originally said to be anonymous only exacerbates the issue, because once again we have a case where a man’s entire reputation is turned upside down in an effort to sell a few more magazines.

I, for one, can’t blame Sports Illustrated (SI) for breaking the story, because economic fragility has left many periodicals out in the cold and there’s nothing like a juicy exposé to get people buying again. Americans love to revel in the dysfunction of others, especially when those experiencing the meltdown are multi-million dollar athletes with little connection to the common man. What I find distressing about the discovery is the time at which it entered into the public domain. For those out there who haven’t been following, allow me to bring you up to speed.

Former Yankee manager Joe Torre recently released a tell-all book in which he recounts his tenure with the team and how A-Rod was so desperate to be accepted as a “true Yankee” that he developed a “Single White Female” obsession with teammate Derek Jeter. Whether this is true or not doesn’t matter, because the notion is out there and it’s only a matter of time before legend and fact become one and the same. What we do know is that ever since Alex Rodríguez inked a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2001, he’s been a marked man subject to the type of drama and ridicule usually reserved for the halls of your neighborhood high school. He’s developed a persona as a soft, baby-faced golden boy who cares more about getting inside Madonna’s pants than performing in October, so don’t expect that perception to fade any time soon. Many experts used to believe that if he won a title in New York, the scrutiny would be put to rest, but now I’m not so sure.

SI’s decision to bring the hammer down on one of the greatest players in the history of the game less than a month after the book’s release is strategic marketing at its finest and the nail in the coffin for a player who deserved better. How did it get to this point? How did A-Rod’s name become tangled up with the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and other silver sluggers of the steroid era?

I don’t think we’ll ever know the truth about how everything went down, so the only chance A-Rod has of ameliorating the scandal is to come clean and, for once, not come across as a phony human being.

That’s always been my issue with him. I get the feeling that he’s so cautious in his approach to the media that he tells them what he thinks they want to hear rather than what really needs to be said. His desire to be liked and accepted by the baseball community constantly gets in the way and contributes to the “A-Fraud” mentality that so many sportswriters have adopted. He’s not Barry Bonds and shouldn’t be thrown into the same category.

Speaking of Bonds, how did his actions become tied up with A-Rod to begin with? I realize they both played in the steroid era, but the similarities are few and far between. First of all, Bonds has always been at odds with the media and he carries himself with an air of haughty entitlement that rubs a lot of fans the wrong way. He’s a bastard and he doesn’t care who knows it. Anyone who has read Game of Shadows can attest to that, so it baffles me how people deem A-Rod to be deserving of just as much hate. Deep down, I think he wants people to root for him and doesn’t care to use the media as his own personal puppet show.

As a lifelong Yankee fan, I'm upset that the upcoming season will be engulfed in another cloud of suspicion, because the acquisitions of C.C Sabathia, A.J Burnett, and Mark Teixeira should be at the forefront of discussion. GM Brian Cashman broke the bank in preparation for the new stadium and fans deserve to cheer for a team without wondering about who's currently on the juice.

Recently, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig released a statement condemning A-Rod for his behavior and expressing how he’s sick of everyone blaming the commissioner for what has happened to baseball over the last fifteen years. Okay Bud, whatever you say. You’re the same commissioner who many insiders believe turned a blind eye in the mid-90s as revenues soared and players started crushing the ball at unprecedented rates. You’re the same commissioner responsible for overseeing a 1998 campaign that saw Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa rake 70 and 66 home runs respectively without so much as a hint of investigation. As comedian Denis Leary would say, “Talk about the pot and the f@&^ing kettle!”

Selig is the George W. Bush of baseball. I’m not saying he’s entirely to blame, but how can he possibly deny any responsibility with a straight face? He sat back and allowed owners to profit from the long ball until it became politically incorrect to do so. When he realized the gig was up, he promptly came out to deliver a contrived spiel about the sanctity of records and why performance-enhancing drugs are wrong, but does anybody want to hear excuses at this point? Listening to Selig rant about steroids is like listening to Bush apologize for allowing corporate blowhards to suck the economy dry for the last eight years.

A lost cause indeed.

In the end, all that really matters is the truth and I think that’s what drove SI to run the story. Regardless of how it’s uncovered, the truth is something that will always come back to bite you in the ass, so all A-Rod can do is atone and hope it doesn’t have sharp teeth.

Oscar Beat #1

2009-02-10T14:12:00.004-05:00

On February 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will come together to honor the finest cinematic efforts that 2008 had to offer. One would think that a list of nominees celebrating the likes ofAngelina Jolie, Sean Penn, and Meryl Streep would have people jumping outof their skin with anticipation, but further analysis reveals a much more sullen and subdued atmosphere than in years past. Strangely, the questionon everyone’s mind is not who will win what, but whether or not anyone at home will be watching. Perhaps it’s the shattered state of the economy or maybe it’s just the overall quality of films, but everything seems to have taken a considerable step down from what we’re used to.

According to preliminary Nielsen ratings, not even in 2007, a year thatmany film critics consider to be the most outstanding of the decade, couldthe academy muster more than a paltry 32 million viewers, so the consensus appears to be that this year’s admittedly watered-down crop won’t do much to resurrect the once heralded awards show. With box-office behemoth “The Dark Knight” and animated crowd-pleaser “Wall-E” notably absent from mostof the major categories, audiences are once again left with a docket of complex and gloomy pictures that, as usual, they’ve shown little desire to spend their hard-earned money on. Of the five nominees, only “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has grossed over $100 million domestically and its total of $116,473,266* is barely surpassed by the other four contenders combined, so the gap between what the public wants and what Hollywood deems praiseworthy appears to be widening by the day.

What is responsible for this divergence in taste? Why do general audiences favor bombastic popcorn flicks such as “Hancock” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” over more serious fare like“Frost/Nixon” and “The Wrestler?” The most obvious reason has shown to be that people prefer not to leave the theatre with a sour taste in their mouth, because happy endings are almost always synonymous with financial success. If someone has the choice between a Will Smith superhero saga and a gritty, blood-soaked drama about a has-been professional wrestler, history has revealed that they’ll opt for the former with little hesitation. It can’t be totally based on star power, because Will Smith’s most recent tearjerker “Seven Pounds” bowed to less than $70 million*,which for him, is a significant under-achievement. No, the rift goes much deeper than that.

What we’re seeing is the emergence of two distinct factions of moviegoers that rarely see eye to eye. The first is out for nothing more than an enjoyable night at the movies with a film that doesn’t require much more than a passive concentration, while the second is looking for something that will challenge their mind and force them to actively dissect everything they’re witnessing on screen. As for which one will win out,that remains to be seen. What we do know is that as long as movies arebeing made, people will undoubtedly flock to see them regardless of the premise, because the cinema is often that one great escape.

*According to Box Office Mojo’s records as of 2/8/09

Best Picture Analysis

2009-02-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – David Fincher’s larger-than-life meditation on the perils of aging is a technological gem that doesn’t cling to the traditional Hollywood notion of a happy ending. Its characters drift through life in search of some deeper spiritual connection yet rarely experience the kind of blissful payoff that makes life worth living. Instead, their happiness comes in tantalizing flashes just waiting to seize the moment when alienation borders on hopelessness.

Recently, you may have heard about the possibility of this film taking home none of the thirteen awards for which it has been nominated, but I think that’s ridiculous. The performances, direction, cinematography, special effects, and score are all worthy of recognition and shouldn’t be denied come Oscar night. People have criticized Fincher’s emotional detachment from the material, but to me, that reluctance to get too intimate is the entire point of the story.

Benjamin Button is a man stricken with the unusual condition of aging in reverse, so he’s all too aware that any relationships he forges will only end in desolation for all parties. The strength of the film depends on how each audience member responds to what they’ve just seen which, as we know, is rarely a universal sentiment. Personally, the sheer elegance and scope of the narrative spoke to me on many levels and feel that a victory would be well-deserved.

“Milk” – Sean Penn’s take on San Francisco politician Harvey Milk is likely to go down as one of the great screen performances of the decade, but the rest of Gus Van Sant’s piece is a fairly standard biopic. The trials and tribulations of Harvey Milk are captured brilliantly throughout a series of rallies and closed door meetings yet the narrative never really came alive enough for me. Just because the story is inspirational doesn’t necessarily mean that it will transfer perfectly to the screen and I think that’s what happened here.

Without Penn’s grace and willingness to take chances, nothing would’ve set this apart from all the other character studies we saw in 2008, so I’d suggest checking out “The Life and Times of Harvey Milk” to get the story right from the source. On the other hand, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, and James Franco are all outstanding and the vitality of the human spirit is on full display, so even as a straight guy, I found it very moving indeed.

“Slumdog Millionaire” – Since everyone has essentially anointed Danny Boyle’s festival darling as the film to beat, saying anything even remotely negative about it has become the sin of all sins. It’s the flashy, uplifting, yet mostly unbelievable flavor of the month that has taken on even more significance in the wake of what has happened in Mumbai. I found it very entertaining and worthy of a spot on my top ten list, but it’s just not the type of film that I feel will hold up ten years from now. People have become prisoners of the moment to this modern-day Cinderella story and looked past its obvious flaws.

For starters, Dev Patel plays the same annoying note throughout and never really moved me enough to the point that I wanted to root for his success. Maybe it was just the way the character was written, but he’s the same melodramatic sad sack from beginning to end. Also, the fact that each question coincides with an event from his life totally overextends in my opinion, but I suppose some filmgoers are just looking for that Disney-esque denouement.

“The Reader” – Of all the nominees, this is the one that has no business being mentioned in the same sentence as the others. Outside of the sublime Kate Winslet, nothing present here makes me jump out of my skin enough to want to give it a second look, so I guess we can attribute its success to the marketing prowess of Harvey Weinstein. He put a self-righteous Holocaust novel by Bernhard Schlink into the hands of director Stephen Daldry and came up with a film whose message is still begging to be deciphered.

Seriously, what exactly is the central theme here? Are we supposed to feel sorry for a woman who became a victim of her own illiteracy? Are we supposed to feel empathy for a kid who had a luscious affair with a beautiful woman twice his age only to have her disappear a few months later? Are we supposed to feel guilty for having sat back and allowed Adolf Hitler to orchestrate one of the largest ethnic cleansings in history? I’m not sure I have the answer to any of those questions, because Daldry never challenges you to pass judgment either way.

Once again, we have the case of a film trying to take on more gravity than it’s worth and leaving the audience wondering whether or not their time was well spent. As for Winslet, she’ll probably take home the hardware for her conflicted take on Hanna Schmitz and the far-superior “Revolutionary Road” will be left in the dust.

“Frost/Nixon” – The accuracy of Ron Howard’s riveting political drama has come under fire as of late, but does it really matter? He manages to take a minor historical event and turn it into an enthralling battle of wits between two men who can’t afford to lose. Every scene is played with menacing conceit by Frank Langella, who creates a Nixon able to transition between sinner and saint with frightening simplicity. His work is definitely among Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke as one of the finest performances of 2008 and I wouldn’t be surprised if his named is called.

Michael Sheen, however, seems to be the unsung hero in all this, because his placid work as David Frost has gone virtually unnoticed. Playing Frost may have been the more ambitious of the two roles due to the lack of acclaim and unfamiliarity with audiences, so Sheen should be praised for illustrating just how shrewd Frost could be when the pressure was on.

Overall, the film is top five worthy, but not quite on that winning level.

Top 10 of 2008

2009-01-02T20:55:00.005-05:00

Another year gone, another top ten list just begging to be deliberated. Is it just me or did 2008 feel like something of an unsatisfactory blitz in the world of cinema? Sure, “The Dark Knight” grossed over $500 Million and a sixty-six year old Harrison Ford proved he could still quarrel with the best of them, but how many films really made you stop and go “Damn, that was incredible?”

For me, that number was significantly down from last year, but maybe I was just spoiled by the scrupulous smorgasbord that 2007 had to offer. Nevertheless, these past twelve months did serve up some truly outstanding pieces of entertainment that I feel deserve to be recognized, so without further adieu, I give you my picks for the year’s ten best:

1. “The Dark Knight” – Everyone and their grandmother ventured out at least once to experience Christopher Nolan’s brooding pop masterwork and, in the end, I just couldn’t picture any other film taking the top spot. With Heath Ledger’s treacherously nefarious tour de force at its center, this two-and-a-half-hour crime epic took the industry by storm and became something much more obscure and corrosive than any comic book adaptation could ever dream of being. I know it’s been said a million times over, but it’s dazzling in every respect.

2. “The Wrestler” - When Randy “The Ram” Robinson refers to himself as an “old, broken-down piece of meat,” I couldn’t help but think how many view Mickey Rourke in the same unflattering light and how insanely off-kilter they are in that analysis. In the performance of a lifetime, Rourke turns a grizzled professional wrestler on the brink of death into a poignant, heart rending symbol of redemption that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout every bone-crushing moment. It’s cinematic simplicity at its finest and director Darren Aronofsky somehow manages to find authentic tenderness underneath all the brutality that most skeptics of the business are quick to dismiss as a counterfeit sensation.

3. “Revolutionary Road” – Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s first onscreen connection since “Titanic” hits you like a tidal wave of malice and insecurity right off the bat and never lets up until only human shells are left standing. The sobering solemnity of Justin Haythe’s script may leave audiences cold and dejected, but the crackling performances and total rejection of 1950s traditionalism should leave any thoughtful filmgoer stunned by the austere beauty of it all. Dare I say better than “American Beauty?”

4. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – Screenwriter Eric Roth employs the same whimsical formula he used in “Forrest Gump” in this stylishly composed portrait of a man who ages in reverse and again hits the jackpot. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (obviously) have an unparalleled romantic elegance that will sweep you off your feet if you let it and David Fincher’s masterful command of motion capture technology is jaw-droppingly awesome to behold. It’s definitely a film that needs to be seen in a theatre, because not even Blu-Ray can reproduce this type of larger-than-life opus.

5. “Frost/Nixon” – Michael Sheen and Frank Langella lay it all on the line in this Ron Howard-directed clash of the titans and create some of most electrifying sequences of the year. The storied interviews translate surprisingly well to the silver screen and Langella steals the show by portraying Richard M. Nixon as an enigmatic firestorm of emotion and unrequited narcissism. Arguably the finest film Howard has made since “Apollo 13.”

6. “Rachel Getting Married” – It’s amazing what can happen when a top-line director such as Jonathan Demme gets to work with a rom-com mainstay like Anne Hathaway. In this scathing exploration of a family in crisis, Hathaway channels her inner black sheep and creates a character so real and richly textured that it’s hard to believe she isn’t given more opportunities with dramatic material. Her interaction with Rosemarie DeWitt’s character is almost too piercing to watch and they play off each other splendidly throughout. Plus, any film willing to dedicate an entire scene to a contest in which two characters see who can load the dishwasher the fastest is just too great to pass up.

7. “In Bruges” – Martin McDonagh’s picturesque waltz through the streets of Belgium is the most underrated film of 2008. It’s a violent, crass, and downright hilarious look at how two hit men choose to spend their vacation and I honestly can’t believe how it managed to fall through the cracks of the upcoming awards season. Colin Farrell has never been better and Brendan Gleeson is certainly worthy of further consideration.

8. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” – As I’ve always said, I try to include a comedy every year and none of them made me laugh out loud more than this one. Jason Segel is quickly becoming one of the funniest actors on the planet and his double duty of acting and writing here takes the zaniness to whole new level. As far as its place among the Apatow stable, only time will tell, but I loved every awkwardly raunchy minute of it.

9. “Man on Wire” – Philippe Petit’s awe-inspiring tightrope walk across the World Trade Center towers is something you have to see to believe. He was relentless in his pursuit and fearless in his execution, so in a post 9/11 world, the film takes on an even greater significance and stands on its own as one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen.

10. “Slumdog Millionaire” – This nifty little crowd pleaser from Danny Boyle may very well win Best Picture, but to me, it was simply a familiar story of lost love bolstered by a smooth soundtrack and the fiercest work Boyle has done since “Trainspotting.” Dev Patel is strong as the central character and the visuals are arresting, but I’d have to see it again before being able to fully support the almost universal campaign this film has gotten since it premiered back in September.

Honorable Mention: "Red," "Milk," "Gran Torino," "Cloverfield," "Iron Man," "Snow Angels," "Quid Pro Quo," "Recount," "Lakeview Terrace," and "Tropic Thunder"

Most Overrated of the Year: "Wall-E" - Bogged down by a weak second half

Worst of the Year: "10,000 B.C.," "The Happening," "Jumper," "One Missed Call," "Shutter," "Quantum of Solace," "Righteous Kill," "Pride and Glory," and "Speed Racer"

Seven Pounds, Valkyrie, Frost/Nixon, and a few quick takes

2008-12-23T19:49:00.002-05:00

Something tells me that Gabriele Muccino’s “Seven Pounds” is primed to be one of the more divisive films of 2008. Some audiences will see it as a refined parable about sacrifice and what it means to be alive, while others will dismiss it as nothing more than an emotionally scheming tearjerker that tacks on the cheese with reckless abandon. I can’t say who’s correct, because I myself found Will Smith’s latest to contain elements of each camp’s critique and don’t think it would be fair to rail on someone for over-analyzing a movie that’s really not all that complicated to begin with.

Sure, it’s syrupy, awkward, histrionic, and borderline impractical, but I reveled in every maple-loving minute of it. Smith turns in some of the most exquisite acting of his career as suicidal IRS agent Ben Thomas and proves yet again why he might be the only actor in Hollywood capable of (pardon the pun) willing a film to box office success. He displays the ideal amount of restraint in a role that could’ve been too off-putting for its own good, so the first twenty minutes were all I needed to buy into the unexplained melancholy with which he carries himself. No film of this nature would be complete without the ravishing presence of a female lead and when Rosario Dawson comes into the picture, things instantly become engaging on a level I surely didn’t see coming.

Her chemistry with Smith rivals that of any on-screen couple this year and she’s infinitely irresistible as a woman in need of a heart transplant as well as a degree of unabated normalcy she hasn’t experienced in quite some time. Since no one appears to be discussing awards potential, her performance will most likely remain criminally underappreciated as the season goes on, which to me, is a crying shame for an actress who never gives anything but her best regardless of a film’s overall quality. I bought into their relationship every step of the way even though I had to keep reminding myself that predictability isn’t always a negative pothole for a story to fall into. Astute viewers should be able to figure out where this one is headed from the get-go, but the journey is what counts in the end, so I say go and enjoy an endearing tale that’s exactly what people are looking for during the holiday season.

- *** out of 4

The central issue I had with Bryan Singer’s semi-thriller “Valkryie” is that every time I started to get caught up in the peril of high treason, I was instantly reminded that I was watching Tom Cruise lead a film about the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler in which nearly everyone speaks English. I’m sorry, but I find it difficult to believe that Das Fuhrer himself would’ve spoken anything but German during a closed-door strategy session and feel the purpose of the project would’ve been better served through a subtitled format. Everything about it seemed rather ordinary for a WWII film, so if you go in expecting wall-to-wall combat, you’ll leave feeling unfulfilled in many respects.

As Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, Cruise is as tolerable as he needs to be and, at times, brings some of that intrepid star power fans know and love to a character that simply doesn’t translate well to the big screen. All Scientological ramblings aside, I was rooting for Cruise to prove people wrong and cement his ability to peddle quality material through his own production company. He’s terrific in “Jerry Maguire” and astonishing in “Born on the Fourth of July,” but has allowed the calamity of his personal life to overtake his reputation as an outstanding master of the craft. While not his best work, the slow-mounting tension of Christopher McQuarrie’s script should be enough to hold an audience’s attention for throughout its brisk running time.

Tom Wilkinson steals the film as Gen. Friedrich Fromm and Terence Stamp is very good as Ludwig Beck, but it ultimately feels like a bunch of regal Englishmen offering their own occasionally riveting interpretation of how the plotting came about. With the exception of a bomb going off and the eventual executions, the action is held to a minimum in favor of secret meetings and family interactions that don’t really pack the expressive punch necessary to pick up the slack. I don’t know about you, but I expected a lot better.

- ** 1/2 out of 4

In a world where American Idol shamelessly dilutes what’s left of the American music industry and Jerry Springer delivers “white trash” hi-jinx to the masses, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which a network wouldn’t pay top dollar for something that just oozes with tabloid sensitivity. Yet in 1977, British talk-show host David Frost approached every major news outlet in the country looking to expose the origins of the Watergate scandal and was essentially hung out to dry with little or no explanation. The forte of Ron Howard’s masterful “Frost/Nixon” is that it takes you deep inside one man’s struggle for credibility and how he literally banked his entire livelihood on the notion that former president Richard M. Nixon would give people the apology they always knew they deserved.

Michael Sheen and Frank Langella dive into their characters without hesitation and immerse themselves in a high energy battle of wits that neither of them can afford to lose. Langella owns every inch of this film as "Tricky Dick" and presents him as a bitter, conniving dignitary who eventually fell victim to his own narcissistic desire to control everything in sight. He’s what Sade would call a “smooth operator” due to his ability to weave in and out of questioning and the way he plays Frost like a pinball machine during the early stages is truly a thrill to watch. Expect a great deal of acclaim to be sent Langella’s way over the next few months for this stellar embodiment of a fallen American original.

Sheen, on the other hand, injects Frost with the slightest hint of haughtiness and cheery exultation at first, but when the pressure is on, he’s more than capable of turning on the jets and matching Langella note for note. We’re rooting for him all the way and the final day of the interview makes for some of the most on-the-edge-of-your-seat filmmaking I’ve seen all year.

Under the first-class direction of Howard, they’re able to recreate a stunning piece of television history in triumphant fashion and almost portray the ex-president in a sympathetic light people will have to see to believe. As far as the order of events is concerned, does it really matter? Every part of this film feels authentic and if you can get your audience to fully believe in what they’re seeing, I’d say you’ve already far surpassed many films on the market today.

- **** out 4

"Milk" - Sean Penn has become the chameleonic actor of our time and turns in another phenomenal performance as San Francisco politician Harvey Milk. It's not the best of the year, but it should take on a deeper meaning in the wake of California's Proposition 8.

- *** 1/2 out of 4

"Quantum of Solace" - Bourne. Jason Bourne. Oh, I'm sorry. For a minute there I thought that Mark Forster's ponderous revenge project was actually the fourth installment of Robert Ludlum's amnesiac spy thriller. I kind of wish it was, because that way the darkness and complete lack of affection for anything would've been right at home.

- ** out of 4

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" - Hysterical, raunchy, over-the-top, and still sweet to the core. Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks are perfectly cast as two goof-offs who resort to porn to pay the bills and in today's financially strapped times, it might not be that off-base.

- *** out of 4

Changeling and Gran Torino

2008-12-21T12:22:00.003-05:00

Clint Eastwood’s overlong period piece “Changeling” is anchored by a resolutely eloquent performance from Angelina Jolie that just reeks of Academy appeal to the point that expectations have become a little too hot to handle. She pours her heart and soul into the role of Christine Collins, a telephone operator whose son goes missing in 1928 Los Angeles, but what does she get in return? The film has so many staggering scenarios taking place at once yet refuses to commit to any of them long enough to make a real statement. Is the child found really her son and, if so, where was he all that time? Also, if he’s not her son, who is the boy that was returned to her and why did the ham-fisted pen pushers at the LAPD think that she wouldn’t recognize her own flesh and blood?

Sure, these questions are answered to some degree, but something still didn’t sit well with me by the time film came to a close. Without spoiling too much, I’ll simply point out that this apparently true story takes a wicked left turn after the first hour and becomes something much more grim and sepulchral than previously expected. In reality, we’re given three interesting films all piled into one ambitiously dense project that is terrific at times, but rather pedestrian at others. The first involves a grieving mother forced to endure hellish treatment just to get her son home safely, the second is a murky courtroom exposé on widespread corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department, and the third is a subdued tale of how far some people are willing to fall in the name of justice. Individually, they may take on deeper sensibilities, but together they get bogged down by too many questionable alterations in tone.

On the bright side, Jolie and John Malkovich as a fiery pastor are stellar throughout and Eastwood’s ability to turn J. Michael Straczynski’s intriguing script into a compelling amalgam of utter chaos in 1930’s L.A. is reason enough to withstand the sections that fall short of greatness.

- *** out of 4

If “Gran Torino” is indeed Clint Eastwood’s swan song to the acting community, I’d say that he certainly went out with the kind of rugged explosiveness we’ve come to expect from the Hollywood legend. As bigoted Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski, he creates a gruff, weathered old iconoclast who guzzles beer on his porch and doesn’t take kindly to those who think he’s too old to engage in any form of manual labor. He’s the product of a do-it-yourself generation raised on consumption and optimism yet his experiences in combat have left him deeply embittered about the tenuous deterioration of the society around him. Think Harry Callahan on Medicare, because when health concerns arise, the thrill of the fight is simply too lucid to waste time in a doctor’s office waiting for test results.

Believe it or not, his only outlet for discussion appears to be an over-zealous priest interested in counseling him following the death of his wife, which of course Walt wants no part of. It’s not until a Hmong family moves in next door that we see him display any emotion other than fanatical profanity, so the chance for redemption actually seems like a welcomed addition to the Kowalski exterior. When the son of the family becomes involved in gang activity, Walt decides to take him under his wing and, in a sense, make him more of a son than his real son ever was. Their relationship is hostile at first, but as the gang’s pressure intensifies, the mutual respect they have for one another transcends whatever racial prejudice Walt still maintains after all these years.

Now, it wouldn’t be a Clint Eastwood movie without a little high-wire intensity to boot and after the gang attacks the boy’s sister, the revenge theme takes on a whole new dimension. Walt unleashes the arsenal through a series of bloody confrontations that leave him in a difficult situation regarding how everything is going to play out in the end. Never has the phrase “Get Off My Lawn” been played to such menacing effect and in the hands Walt it becomes a statement of virile intimidation designed to let people know he mean’s business.

Since Eastwood also directed, the plot trajectory is anything but upbeat, so don’t expect a fairy tale where everyone sits around reminiscing about the good ol’ days. This is a serious examination of a guy trying to get one last chance at a good deed that will finally put him at peace with his torrid past. My only complaint would be that the supporting cast wasn’t quite up to the challenge, but to watch Eastwood do what he does for possibly the final time is all any diehard cinephile can ask for.

- *** ½ out of 4

Pride and Glory and Rachel Getting Married

2008-12-16T16:38:00.005-05:00

Gavin O’Connor tries hard to infuse his latest effort “Pride and Glory” with the kind of ethically challenged street beat usually expected from stark police procedurals, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t get excited about anything he brings to the table. Coming on the heels of last year’s vastly superior “We Own the Night,” this film features an almost identical plot minus any authentic suspense or reason to spend two-plus hours on a soulless piece of wannabe commercial nihilism. The talents of Edward Norton, Jon Voight, and Noah Emmerich are much too intricate to be wasted in such appalling fashion, so don’t be fooled if the trailer makes it out to be a hard-boiled cop drama featuring the stars of “Fight Club” and “Midnight Cowboy.”

If you still find yourself maintaining the slightest morsel of curiosity, might I provide you with a tip on how to avoid what the Gin Blossoms refer to as a “new miserable experience.” Think about the most insufferable professorial diatribe you’ve ever had to endure and how you found yourself locked into a staring contest with the minute hand only to find that there’s still thirty minutes left before freedom can be achieved. Yes, I think that pretty much covers it.

- ** out of 4

Picture the most excruciatingly overcooked wedding you’ve ever attended and multiply it by a thousand, because only then will you have any semblance of the demonstrative hodgepodge that is “Rachel Getting Married.” In his finest film since 1991’s Academy Award juggernaut “The Silence of the Lambs,” director Jonathan Demme pulls a Spinal Tap by turning the subversive animosity up to eleven and letting his cast create a blowout so extravagant that I couldn’t help but wonder if he was testing the audience’s tolerance for awkward familial strife.

Seriously, there were moments where I wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, squirm, or simply be thankful that I never had to experience an event quite like this one. Then again, everything I just described is what makes it one of the best films of the year, which in 2008, is a phrase I haven’t been able to use nearly as often as I like.

Anne Hathaway gives a performance so mannered and in tune with the misery of real-life addiction that it’s clear she’s more than just a pretty face reserved for the monotony of rom-com clockwork. As Kym, she’s bare, vulnerable, uncompromising, and always capable of ruining an evening with one spasmodic slip of the tongue. The tragedy of her personal life dictates how she’s treated by the rest of the family, so allowing her a weekend pass from rehab to attend the wedding of a sister who despises her every move carries with it the possibility of relationships being severed beyond repair. What really makes this film tick is Hathaway and Rosemarie DeWitt constantly one-upping each other in terms of infantile eruptions aimed at getting the spotlight put back on them, so be prepared for a searing sibling rivalry that Dr. Phil can only dream about exacerbating on national television.

Sure, Rachel does end up getting married and Kym certainly commits her share of indiscretions along the way, but unlike most films, the invitation for the happy ending was lost in the mail. Instead, the characters are at a crossroads, left to trudge through the emotional wreckage wondering whether or not the good times will ever be heard from again. That’s how life goes. You choose a path, encounter adversity, and, if religious, pray that better days are coming to make the struggle seem like a necessary hurdle on the road to success and personal fulfillment. For Kym, the fact that her family has all but disowned her means that those hurdles appear that much higher and more glaringly out of reach.

- **** out of 4

W., Quarantine, and Burn After Reading

2008-10-27T20:35:00.005-04:00

“W.” is the antithesis of what an Oliver Stone film usually feels like. Instead of relying on fiery, in-your-face exchanges that often lead to shocking story development, he presents an evenhanded, fairly by-the-book biopic of a simple man who’s clearly in over his head as the leader of the free world. The George W. Bush we’re introduced to is a reckless booze hound who bounces from job to job until one day finding Jesus and deciding to enter the realm of political persuasion, so it should go without saying that the narrative structure here is anything but linear. In all honesty, it feels more like a greatest hits collection thrown together in haste than a carefully plotted character study in the league of “Born on the Fourth of July” or “Nixon,” but I still found every minute to be fascinating enough to warrant a recommendation.

After a stellar 2007, Josh Brolin takes another step toward the A-list in the title role and creates a character that the audience almost feels sorry for at times due to his constant anxiety and inability to do anything his father approves of. His uncanny embodiment of the present day Bush is spot-on in every facet and the backdoor scenes involving Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld are almost too topical to laugh at. The more decisions that Bush is faced with, the more passive and complacent he becomes, so his overconfident knights of the round table act as an invaluable safety net when it comes to getting the country out of tough situations. I don’t know about you, but I find a president with that kind of secrecy and indecision to be completely ill-equipped to have their finger on the button.

The strength of this film is undoubtedly in the casting, because Richard Dreyfuss (especially), James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Toby Jones, and Jeffrey Wright are all indispensable in bringing Stone’s vision to life and due their best to keep the action afloat long enough for the viewer to get something out of it. While it appears that Stone went out of his way to highlight Bush’s “daddy issues,” some of the confrontation was just too hard to believe since I can’t really see Bush Sr. asking his son if he wants an ass whooping. Then again, the order of events doesn’t really matter, because most Americans already have a firm impression of the man and nothing this movie drums up is going to change that.

- *** out of 4

For those hoping that “Quarantine” would be an unpredictably petrifying blend of “Cloverfield” and “28 Days Later,” I regret to inform you that it doesn’t even come close to that type of efficient storytelling. The trepidation is minimal, the characters are hollow, and the first fifteen minutes could’ve been trimmed without detracting from the film’s overall value. Since horror films tend to live and die by how eerie the mood is, this one kicks the bucket rather quickly as the picture is too muffled and frenetic to experience anything greater than a transitory chill when one of the infected inhabitants finally comes into focus.

I will give kudos to Jennifer Carpenter for giving the most chaotically overstated performance in a horror film since Ronee Blakley in Wes Craven’s classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” but otherwise nothing that original happens to justify any further discussion.

- ** out of 4

I’m still trying to figure out why the Coen Brothers’ latest oddball concoction “Burn After Reading” is so inexplicably hilarious, but I don’t think words can fully describe just how eccentric this film is. I hesitate even calling it a film due to the lack of any legitimate purpose and would still like to know how premier talent such as Clooney, Pitt, McDormand, Swinton, and Malkovich even signed on to this cinematic folly. It’s basically an intelligent, high-concept spy jaunt without, you know, the intelligent, high-concept maneuvering usually present in films of this genre. These people are ignorant dolts who are so wrapped up in their own little world that they don’t even realize the triviality of the pseudo-espionage they’re supposedly engaged in.

Let’s get this straight: Malkovich’s character is married to Swinton, who in turn is having an affair with Clooney, who in turn is having an affair with McDormand? Sounds great doesn’t it? Personally, I could care less about the frivolity of the plot, because the actors are so spectacular at indulging in the insanity. Brad Pitt steals the show as moronic personal trainer Chad Feldheimer and injects the film with just the right amount of playful absurdity to save it from being a total disaster. While it’s certainly an acquired taste, I urge you to broaden your scope and revel in the notion of the Hollywood elite taking ninety minutes to act up a storm of epically stupid proportion.

- *** out of 4

No End in Sight, Jesus Camp, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Lakeview Terrace

2008-10-22T11:38:00.002-04:00

“No End in Sight” is without a doubt the finest and most intellectually stimulating portrait of the Iraq War yet to be painted by the American media. It’s a two-hour barrage of hard line, no-frills journalism designed to let the public in on just how badly the government botched their attempt to bring democracy to a land that wasn’t quite ready for such an abundant responsibility. Say what you will about WMDs or Saddam Hussein’s indefensible reign of terror, but had any other organization orchestrated that kind of feeble, half-assed plan of attack, they would’ve been collecting unemployment faster than it takes to fire an AK-47.

Whether it’s passively sitting back and allowing the looting to continue or deciding to disband the Iraqi army, the majority of top-level decision making comes off as poor beyond belief as director Charles Ferguson allows various insiders to offer their own take on why the entire undertaking can be seen as a colossal misfire.

Of course, the fact that L. Paul Bremer and Paul Wolfowitz conveniently declined to partake in the film means that these issues are still unresolved and will probably remain so until somebody decides to step up and accept accountability for the last five years of havoc. I think this film should be required viewing for every American citizen regardless of partisan affiliation, because only then will people be able to decide for themselves what it is we’re really fighting for.

- **** out of 4

Forget Michael Myers. If I want to see what true indescribable horror is made of, I’ll look no further than Becky Fischer and the Kids on Fire Bible Camp. Seriously, the 2006 documentary “Jesus Camp” just might be the scariest film I’ve ever seen due to its eternally troublesome portrayal of young children training to be soldiers in God’s army. I hate to say it, but the more I watched, the more I started to think that the line between what the Evangelicals are doing and what the Islamic Fundamentalists are up to isn’t all that opaque. The only difference is that instead of giving children weapons, they’re arming them with an enormously warped worldview and indoctrinating them to believe that being saved is the only authentic way to live a meaningful existence.

I had an issue with that immediately, because for a religion that’s supposed to be founded upon tolerance, they appear to fall victim to another distressing case of “Do as I say, not as I do.” I’m sorry, but when a 13-year-old says that he was saved at five (he realized that he wanted more out of life) and admits to feeling yucky around people who don’t share his belief system, something is clearly wrong with the way these kids are being raised. The only thing worse than listening to that ludicrous drivel is witnessing them in such a heightened state of submission that they’re literally on the floor crying and convulsing, which once again illustrates how these children are little more than pawns in the Evangelical mission to gain control over the US political system.

Sure, it can be argued that the audience is only given a fraction of what really happens at this camp, but the absence of a narrator leaves the viewer with nothing to judge except the frightening philosophy being touted on screen. If the members are unhappy with their portrayal, they have no one to blame but themselves, because the results are at once honest, moving, and daunting in a way that few other documentaries are. In case you’re still deciding whether or not to see this film, might I finish with a quote from disgraced preacher Ted Haggard as to the strength of the movement: “If the evangelicals vote, they determine the election.” Scared yet?

- **** out of 4

In one of my favorite episodes of “The Wonder Years,” Kevin and his friends set out on an all-night journey in search of a secret concert being put on by The Rolling Stones and end up piling on more disappointment than a father forcing his kid to leave a sporting event before the outcome has been decided. I mention this, because the plot of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” is essentially the same story except that the teens are depressed Emo hipsters and the band is Where’s Fluffy. That said, I enjoyed seeing the touching relationship at the center unfold and found much of the humor to be more unpretentiously flowing than the snaky comments being dished out in last year’s overrated sensation “Juno.”

Michael Cera (again) and Kat Dennings make an endearing pair of unlikely soul mates, but the passion is almost too bland for comfort due to their passive approach to everything that comes their way. I believed they wanted to be together and would’ve appreciated a little more enthusiasm from their end to keep me interested. Luckily, the pulse of the movie manifests itself in the form of Ari Graynor, who has more spontaneous personality than Cera and Dennings combined and makes the whole evening worth the price of admission.

Although she’s drunk through most of the film, she uses her condition to ingenious comedic effect and is given the best dialogue present in Lorene Scafaria’s script. Seeing as how the last time I saw her was as an emotionally hardened Karla Homolka type on SVU, the change of pace is a pleasant surprise indeed.

As for the rest of the film, the music wasn’t to my taste and I’m still trying to figure out how recent high school graduates can cavort around the clubs of NYC without ever being asked for identification. Then again, the creative license here requires that lack of supervision to advance the proceedings, so I guess I have to swallow my logic and admit that it’s actually a pretty entertaining night out on the town.

- *** out of 4

For those of you out there who recall 2006’s fluffy, Oprah-endorsed dramedy “Something New,” I’d like to inform you right now that Neil LaBute’s scathing new project “Lakeview Terrace” resembles nothing of the sort. It’s a nail-biting, sensationalized potboiler of a movie that constantly urges you to question your own attitudes about race and the possibility of the tension ever being fully relieved. What begins as a sunny, Wisteria Lane-esque tale of newlywed optimism quickly turns into a minaciously psychopathic mind game designed to make the audience feel as ill at ease as possible. As the Monty Python faithful would say, “And now for something completely different!”

Just when I thought Samuel L. Jackson had embarked on a painful descent into dubious B-movie obscurity (“SoaP,” “Home of the Brave,” and “Jumper“ come to mind), he comes out with a performance chock full of so much spite and venomous vivacity that I almost have to think he made 2005’s “The Man” simply for the paycheck. The way he embodies the fickle malevolence of LAPD officer Abel Turner is enough to make anyone squirm, so if you’re at all offended by even the slightest racial affront, this probably isn’t how you want to spend your hard-earned free time. Think of it as a gloomy hybrid of “Neighbors” and “Arlington Road” without all the madcap antics thrown in to keep things somewhat lighthearted.

Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington also give strong performances as the terrorized couple trying to start their life together, but this is Jackson’s movie from beginning to end. His various interactions with Wilson make for stellar suspense and some of LaBute’s dialogue is almost daring you not to laugh hysterically at the absurdity of it all. Many critics will say that the ending was over-the-top and predictable, but how else was a story like this going to play out? Had the ending been any different, I would’ve complained that LaBute was inconsistent with everything he had orchestrated before hand, so in that sense, the film more than holds up its end of the bargain.

- *** ½ out of 4

Heroes...?

2008-10-03T11:52:00.001-04:00

For those still hanging on, "Heroes" has made its yearly return to network television clearly going out on a limb to recapture the attention of everyone from Buffalo to Wasilla (How could I resist?). The premiere was billed as a 2-hour extravaganza of epic proportion, but proved to be nothing more than a cry of shameless desperation from a once-ambitious show that has, in my opinion, been traveling down the artistic toilet since the finale of season one.

Sure, they've shown flashes of genius since, but nothing to really excite me enough to think that last year was only a minor gaffe.

I understand that it's difficult to maneuver around a strike-shortened chapter and even forgive them for spending a preposterous amount of time following Hiro around the monotonous landscape of Medieval Japan. What I can't get past is the fact that every week I'm forced to maintain the slightest morsel of optimism (mostly unwarranted) for a show that used to command my interest with very little effort.

The reason for this is simple: Too many characters and not enough time to justify their presence.

Here's the way I see it -

Hiro and Ando - What once served as comic relief has now become painful stupidity. Their desire to save the world is being undone by one bonehead decision after another and I find their naivete extremely hard to buy into considering what they've gone through in previous episodes.

Parkman - I could go on forever about how his storyline is contributing the show's sluggish death march, but is it really worth it? He used to be one of the characters you could count on and has now been relegated to a 2008 version of "Lawrence of Arabia" (Wandering around the desert?).

HRG and Sylar - Their pairing is unlikely to say the least, but I'm hoping they at least provide something to reward me for my patience with Kring's creative stalemate. The Petrelli Family - TBD

Maya and Mohinder - For those who read my blog last year, you'll undoubtedly know how I deemed Maya and Alejandro to be completely redundant to the plot and I still support that claim.

As for our favorite dim-witted geneticist, I think he needs to go ASAP. For someone so knowledgeable about science, he seems to be pretty inept at approaching a problem with any sense or objectivity and injecting himself with the serum further solidfied my assertion that he's no Jeff Goldblum (See David Cronenberg's 'The Fly").

Are there other characters to discuss?

Sure, but I just don't see the point of exhausting so much hate for a show that doesn't seem to get the message.

2008 MLB Playoffs

2008-10-03T11:47:00.004-04:00

AL - Red Sox - Is Beckett healthy? Can Daisuke keep the walks down? Will Lowell be a factor?They’re all valid questions, but history indicates that they'll gut it out and be just fine. Besides, Pedroia and Ellsbury are more than capable of taking over if necessary.

Angels - Every year the expectations are high and every year they respond with a lackluster early exit, so I’m not exactly giddy this time around. On paper, Teixeira, Hunter, and Vlad the Impaler should be unstoppable, but something tells me that the old adage about good pitching always stifling good hitting will ultimately ring true once again.

Sox in 4 (As much as it pains me to admit)

Rays - Are they for real or have they simply performed beyond their means? Whatever the reason, they won the tightest division in baseball despite injuries to Crawford and Longoria, so consider me sold on their ability to win when it counts. They owned Boston down the stretch and have two legitimate number ones in Shields and Kazmir, which gives them a significant advantage in a short series.

White Sox - Sure, it would be great to see Griffey Jr. finally get his ring and Ozzie win a second, but I just don’t see it happening. Their lineup doesn’t scare anyone outside of Quentin (who’s currently not playing) or Dye and the rotation isn’t nearly at the same level as the 2005 championship squad.

Rays in 4

NL - Dodgers - The additions of Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez certainly signify a team hell-bent on winning it all, but can anyone outside of Manny produce in the clutch? If they win, it will be due to a stellar combination of Lowe, Billingsley, and Saito holding it all together.

Cubs - Clearly, they were the best team during the regular season and that rotation is, in my opinion, the most well-rounded of any postseason team, but is 2008 really the year that the supposed curse comes to an end? Sadly, I think the woes will continue, because Ramirez and Lee need help if they’re seriously going to challenge anyone. I can already hear people shouting “What about Soriano?” As a diehard Yankee fan, I’ve sat through one too many 4 or 5 k efforts to know that he can’t be trusted when the game is on the line.

Dodgers in 4

Phillies - Howard, Utley, Burrell, Rollins, Hamels, Myers, Lidge, and Manuel. Any team with this much firepower has no excuse for not bringing the pennant home, so for their sake, they’d better come through.

Brewers - Sabathia has been a one-man wrecking crew since the deadline, but how much is enough? How many starts on short rest can be endured before things head South? My main concern is whether or not the bullpen has anything left after stumbling into October, but if Gagne can somehow be relevant again, they may have a fighting chance.

Phillies in 4

Great Stuff

2008-09-25T17:11:00.001-04:00

Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1X6RQLZtoA

"Mirrors," "Tropic Thunder," "Red," "In Bruges," and "Righteous Kill"

2008-09-16T20:29:00.004-04:00

It took a lot for me to push aside my electric disdain for films such as “High Tension” and “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006), but I walked into Alexandre Aja’s latest crackpot endeavor “Mirrors” with a sense of optimism not usually reserved for the horror genre. I thought that the presence of the “Master of Psychotic Tension” himself Kiefer Sutherland would at least bring a degree of reputable star power that had been missing from Aja’s previous incoherent schlock and, I have to say, the results aren’t half bad.

Sure, the running time could’ve been abridged and the blood flowed as freely as the Nile, but the creepy narrative actually amounts to much more than just a gratuitous assault on the eyes. Sutherland’s tortured detective exhibits poignant emotional profundity during his familial interaction and as he descends into irrepressible madness, we actually start to believe that mirrors can play a role in altering someone’s perceived state of reality.

Since it’s essentially a one-man show, the film tends to drag a bit when Sutherland isn’t on screen and even when he is, the possibilities for evolution are limited until the Shyamalan-esque twist of fate comes along to make you question everything you’ve just spent one-hundred minutes watching. It might not have the most ground-breaking title in the universe, but compared to some of 2008’s other suspense offerings, I’d say it falls somewhere in the middle. And for Aja, that’s a momentous upgrade.

- ** ½ out of 4

Ben Stiller’s long-awaited satirical smorgasbord of war cinema “Tropic Thunder” is everything I hoped it would be. The acting is exceptional, the action is hyperbolized, and the music contains just enough Vietnam homage to be taken seriously as an enlightened addition to the genre. Did I mention it’s also one of the funniest studio comedies of the decade and blatantly pushes the envelope more than any Will Ferrell comedy could ever dream of? Well, under the brilliant control of Stiller, Black, and Downey Jr. it strikes the right note every time and provides a perfect night out at the movies.

- *** ½ out of 4

I might be in the minority on this one, but I think that Brian Cox’s stoically intimidating performance in “Red” is one of the finest thespian undertakings of 2008 thus far. His face is weathered, his voice is gravelly, and the only thing he loves more than his dog is the tantalizing possibility of dispensing justice to a spoiled, spineless troublemaker who thought he was above the law. When his dog is mercilessly eliminated as part of a robbery, he goes out of his way to maintain a sense of Christ-like objectivity, but the shallow pomposity of the assailants eventually leads him to settle things in true Bronson-esque fashion.

Now, if you’re thinking that the story is just another brute retribution saga, I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken. The deeply rooted themes of honor and restitution resonate heavily throughout Cox’s solo campaign for justice and are much more plausible than the slick invincibility made famous during the later half of Steven Seagal’s career. He doesn’t have a magical bag of tricks to extract from, so he approaches the conflict just like any over-zealous, pro-gun good ol’ boy would. The only difference is that for Cox’s character, emptying the clip wouldn’t be the first option.

- **** out of 4

Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” plays like a beautifully operatic Shakespearean tragedy in which the laughs come early and often, but are later supplanted by a sinister climax that forces the “protagonists” to come face to face with their ill-favored life decisions. I put the word “protagonists” in quotes, because when you consider the fact that the main characters are cold, calculating assassins, somehow the concept of heroism doesn’t exactly seem appropriate. That’s not to say that they don’t have feelings. I just think they’re not the type of crowd that assigns a high value to sensitivity training and would throw someone out a window if only for the hedonistic purpose of watching them fall to their death.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson capture the bruising camaraderie of pub life in a wickedly comical manner as two hit men sent to Belgium on vacation and both deliver career-best work in the process. Their initial reactions to being exiled to what Farrell’s character refers to as a “shithole” are priceless and provide much of the boredom-fueled hi-jinx that occurs in the film’s blistering first half. Even with their spectacular performances, the real star of the show becomes the glorious city of Bruges. It possesses a captivating “old country” feel that we don’t usually see in mainstream pictures and the more we see of it, the more we realize that it’s far from being considered the doldrums of Europe.

- **** out of 4

Am I the only one who had a feeling that “Righteous Kill” would be less than impressive? I sure hope not, but I can see how swarms of moviegoers can be duped into believing that De Niro and Pacino would be able to recapture the same high wire explosiveness they so effortlessly toyed with in Michael Mann’s masterpiece “Heat.” I mean, they waited thirteen years before deciding to pair up again, so the prolonged anticipation must’ve been worth it right?

If I said yes, I’d be lying and if I said no, that wouldn’t be entirely accurate either. Actually, I’m still trying to fathom how they agreed that a third-rate buddy cop flick with a plot better suited for Saturday afternoon television would be the best way the work off each other. Couldn’t they have chosen something that wasn’t practically begging the audience to solve it within the first ten minutes? I suppose they thought the performances would be enough to overcome the idiotic denouement and, to a degree, they do just that.

De Niro is strong as usual and Pacino looks to be having a wonderful time cranking out one dirty joke after another, but we all know they’re slumming it. Personally, I find it distressing to think that Travis Bickle and Frank Serpico are so far in the past, because I often wonder if they’ll be able to turn in something truly amazing ever again.

For people inclined to use “Heat” as a litmus test, might I say that Jon Avnet is nowhere near the director than Mann is and if he ever played poker, he’d lose pretty quick, because he opts to put all of his cards on the table before the betting has even begun. If you’re still trying to piece together the poker analogy, I’ll make it easier by saying that you shouldn’t expect anything close to what happened in 1995.

- ** out of 4

Step Brothers

2008-08-23T14:46:00.001-04:00

I think it’s safe to say that I’m an ardent fan of just about everything Will Ferrell has been a part of over the last ten years or so (“A Night at the Roxbury” and “Semi-Pro” not included), but his latest potty-mouthed solecism “Step Brothers” didn’t quite rattle my rib cage the same way a modern cult classic like “Anchorman” always does.

It’s a coarse, cacophonous basket case of a movie that revels in the kind of mean-spirited impudence I would expect from a comedy troupe that is yet to be acquainted with a Judd Apatow production. In Apatow’s work, the characters can say or do things that leave the audience in a state of hilarious disgust, but more often than not they prove to be all bark and no bite.

Here, that couldn’t be further from the truth. These people hate each other with all their heart and soul and are willing to shatter familial relationships if it leads to dominance over their fellow wayward couch potatoes. I didn’t think tossing your own father down a flight of stairs constituted humor, but apparently writer/director Adam McKay finds that sort of warped giddiness to be a critical part of any comedic offering.

In fact, much of what goes on in this film falls into that warped category, because the entire execution feels like something they threw together at the last minute and includes a bunch of gross-out moments that must’ve sounded funny in the planning stages.

Ferrell plays Brennan Huff, a 40-year-old slacker who still lives at home with his mother (Mary Steenburgen) and has no aspirations outside of eating junk food or practicing karate in his garage. When he discovers that his mother is getting married and that he’ll have to share a room with another adult loafer played by John C. Reilly, his life couldn’t be more disrupted. He forges a volatile relationship with his new step brother Dale and most of his energy is spent trying to conjure up different ways to torture him.

Here is where I lost touch with the film, because it wants us to believe that these two oafs actually become best friends just as their parents’ romantic bond is rapidly unraveling. Things get quite raunchy and idiotic in the final act, so don’t get too excited about the idea of Ferrell and Reilly in the same project.

Sure, they have some humorous gags along the way, but Brennan’s biological brother played by Adam Scott is actually the funniest person on screen. The scene in which he leads his family through a demented “Sweet Child O’ Mine” sing-along definitely takes the top prize in my book.

Fans of Ferrell will certainly find some amusement in his antics, but I see it as just another wasted opportunity that could’ve been something special had they not opted for schoolyard sight gags. If you like your comedy without all the tedious adolescent jabber, may I suggest “Tropic Thunder” for a much more satirically enlightening experience.

- ** out of 4

Hosed

2008-08-19T11:37:00.003-04:00

Not only did He Kexin get a gold medal, she also got a visit from the tooth fairy. 16? Are you kidding me?

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

2008-08-14T13:25:00.001-04:00

For diehard disciples of Chris Carter’s awesomely multifarious chiller “The X-Files,” the latest big-screen adaptation might not be the supernatural recharge they were hoping for. “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” contains almost no mystical commotion outside of a pedophile priest who claims he can see missing people and even he doesn’t offer much in the way of legitimate paranormal aptitude. Instead, Carter strings together a series of spiritual challenges designed to compel Mulder and Scully into a state of full-on personal introspection, while still hot on the trail of an illegal organ harvesting cartel (Now there‘s the horror we’ve come to love!).

As a mild fan of the show’s later seasons, I found the subtle narrative groove here to be a welcomed upgrade over the cloudy meanderings that often dulled the show’s creative edge near the end. Some people may disagree with making the two sullen FBI agents a couple, but I think it only makes sense considering how much the sexual tension has percolated over the years. The fact is that they bring out the best in one another and their love has only grown stronger since the last time they worked a case together.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have these roles so embedded in their system that the chemistry is just as sharp and breezy as it was back in 1993, which, to me, is reason enough to spend your time indulging in this never-ending search for the truth.

Like I said before, the plot couldn’t be further from extraterrestrial territory and Amanda Peet and Xzibit have been brought in as co-stars, so don’t go expecting a spectacular Summer thrill ride. However, the surprising gravity of comedian Billy Connolly as Father Joe is intriguing at every twist and sets the stage for some of the more creepy moments.

If the intensity level doesn’t quite do it for you, may I suggest picking up the first three seasons (Brilliant, to say the least) of the show to witness what pure cinematic fright is made of. Or check them both out and then decide for yourself whether the truth really is out there.

Side Note: Watch for the scene where the picture of George W. Bush is accompanied by the eerie theme music (Nice touch).

- *** out of 4

Two Doors Are Better Than None

2008-08-10T20:11:00.001-04:00

If I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have believed it. It was loud, long, and filled to the brim with the kind of wistfully intoxicated belligerents that make you afraid to leave the house. No, I’m not talking about the 1968 Monterey Pop Festival, although that certainly falls under that distinction. Actually, I’m referring to the Molson Canal Concert Series where, last Friday night, the sultans of psychedelia Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek rolled into Lockport for a scintillating two hours of unadulterated musical heaven.

Spearheaded by ex-Fuel warbler Brett Scallions, the Riders On The Storm took the stage around 9:00 p.m. and proceeded to tear into one Doors classic after another. Everything from the twangy groove of “Love Me Two Times” to the oddly anthemic potency of “Peacefrog” made an appearance and as someone who wasn’t fortunate enough to experience the band in its entirety, I was deeply moved by the intimate relationship they seemed to develop with the diehard audience members.

The dull moments were few and far between, because the tautness of the band superseded any of the inevitable comparisons being drawn between Scallions and Jim Morrison. We all know Morrison is a legend, but I thought Scallions did a more than honorable job of injecting his own passion into the material and disagree with people who feel otherwise.

Personally, I think the absence of the Lizard King enabled me to further marvel at the virtuosic prowess of Manzarek and Krieger. It always seemed to me that their contributions were somewhat overlooked due to Jim’s god-like persona, but this time they got their due. Krieger’s soloing is as dazzling and melodic as anybody out there and the instantly identifiable ring of Manzarek’s keyboard is what separated The Doors from the rest of the pack. Together, they’re a living, breathing testament to the “We’re Not Gonna Take It” philosophy of the late 1960’s and still bring the thunder every night regardless of how their age has advanced.

This show is easily among the top five I’ve ever seen and I’ll always remember the night I witnessed these Rock ‘n’ Roll icons up close and personal. However, I feel compelled to address the complete lack of consideration on the part of many concertgoers who believe the Ulrich City Courtyard to be their own personal Bally. I mean, how many drunken buffoons can you fit in one area before agoraphobia sets in?

There were times when all I could think about was how fast the kid in front of me would drop if I gave him a karate chop to back of the neck. I wouldn’t do it of course, but you get the point. I love outdoor concerts as much as anyone, but sometimes I feel that the majority of morons in attendance are there strictly for the party and could give a rat’s behind about what’s happening on stage. If you want a kegger, stay home.

Well, it’s just a thought. I don’t expect the atmosphere to change anytime soon, so if you plan on heading out for a show, make sure the brass knuckles aren’t far behind. I kid, I kid.

Other Set Highlights: “Touch Me,” “L.A. Woman,” “Light My Fire,” “Five to One,” “When the Music’s Over,” “Break on Through,” and, of course, “Riders on the Storm.”

Wall-E

2008-08-09T10:40:00.001-04:00

In Pixar’s latest animated venture “Wall-E,” Earth has become a cavernous wasteland in which filth and other miscellaneous trash dominate the overall landscape to the point of total uninhabitation. As our hero rummages through the remnants of this once flourishing civilization, you’ll undoubtedly recognize some of his findings along the way. A Twinkie, an Atari, a Rubik's Cube, and an I-Pod all make appearances and are irrefutably portrayed as somehow contributing to the gradual downfall of society ( Message: Consumerism Kills).

The people that do survive are morbidly obese and have little or no contact with fellow humans outside of talking video screens. They exist solely aboard a starliner called the Axiom just waiting for the day when they can return home to a planet free from litter and airborne pathogens.

If you’re polishing your whale-skin hubcaps thinking that Disney has finally gone off the deep end, this film, in all likelihood, isn’t for you. But if you find yourself arousing even a smidgen of concern for the current state of global ecology, I urge you to spend ninety-eight minutes with a spry trash compactor to get a sobering glimpse of what might become of this world if we don’t change our ways.

Director Andrew Stanton has manufactured a magnificent piece of science fiction complete with enough wit and sophistication to keep both parents and children engaged at all times. It’s not often that a film can go almost thirty minutes without dialogue and still hold your attention, but the visuals here are so exquisitely drawn that the colorful narrative assumes an even greater connotation when being carried out in dead silence. In fact, the screening I attended went without sound for a ten minute period and I still sat altogether engrossed by the aura of earnest wonderment the visionaries at Pixar cooked up.

For those still wondering, Wall-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth Class and his mission is to stack garbage into skyscraper-esque arrangements to ensure simple disposal. He has an amiable, vibrant persona all his own and enjoys watching “Hello, Dolly” whenever the need for a little cornball diversion arises. No matter how desolate life on Earth appears, he does whatever he can to brighten the mood and when EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) arrives, it’s love at first sight.

At first, she rejects his affable advances, but later realizes that their friendship is something that she’ll refuse to let wither away. The rest of their time is spent trying to find one of the last surviving plants to alert the humans that their triumphant return to Earth is imminent, so nothing that unusual really happens. Listen closely and you’ll hear the spirited voice of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Jeff Garlin as the Captain, but otherwise, it’s straightforward family entertainment down the stretch.

In all seriousness, this is a four-star movie, but due to Pixar’s thinly veiled environmental statement, I refuse to cave in. I loved everything about this film except for the fact that innocent children’s fare is now being used to further someone’s inequitable political agenda. I mean, I’m all for getting today’s youth to think green, but is the cinema the best place to initiate?

- *** ½ out of 4

Rewind: Top 10 of 2004

2008-08-01T13:16:00.001-04:00

1. “Sideways” - Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor took a quirky, high-spirited novel from Rex Pickett and turned it into one of the most enjoyably low-key cinematic gems of the decade. With its disheveled everyman duo of Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, this one took us on a life-altering journey through the stunning ins and outs of California wine country and extracted some hysterical moments along the way. Seldom does a film capture the uncompromised essence of a book so impeccably.

“Million Dollar Baby” - I originally settled on “Sideways” as my sole number one, but Clint Eastwood’s heartbreaking meditation on love and loss is too powerful to ignore. The performances of Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman speak for themselves and every frame just feels like an unnerving setup for something beyond the normal tragedy that boxing films often carry. Sure, the fight scenes are aplenty, but much like real life, these wounds cut a lot deeper than you realize.

2. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” - Every time Charlie Kaufman pens a script, it’s guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and director Michel Gondry certainly did his part to deliver on that promise. His melancholy portrait of two endearing eccentrics trying to literally erase their relationship from memory is beautifully woven together to create something totally void of all rom-com cliché. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are pitch perfect as the struggling couple, because they leave the glamour at home and delve into the painful aspects of romance with bona fide apprehension.

3. “The Passion of the Christ” - I know, I know. It’s lengthy, vindictive, blood-spattered, and borderline anti-Semitic (Not in my opinion), but I found every frame to be nothing short of inspiring. I challenge you to find a more fearlessly outstanding performance than that of Jim Caviezel and his surprising control of the Aramaic language. Only an ambitious filmmaker such as Mel Gibson would willingly weather the storm to bring something of this scale to the screen, so the $370 million box office return surely alleviated the critical beating he endured following its release.

4. “Kill Bill Vol. 2” - Part two of Quentin Tarantino’s delectably idiosyncratic ode to Kung Fu classics is pure poetry in motion. It turns the entire revenge genre on its head in a way that only Tarantino can and provides the perfect platform for Uma Thurman to deliver a career-best performance. She plays The Bride with such profound ferocity that we’re rooting for her regardless of how wicked or thick-skinned she becomes and, believe me, she definitely gets her revenge. Is it as good as “Pulp Fiction?” No, but what is?

5. “The Aviator” - Since Martin Scorsese is my favorite director, it’s difficult to be completely objective when it comes to his work, but this film really is something special. The lavish radiance of old time Hollywood is channeled in remarkable fashion and Leonardo DiCaprio captures the neurotic madness of aviation visionary Howard Hughes as if they were long lost brothers. Whether or not his real-life battle with OCD aided his work I can’t say, but the role is brilliant nonetheless and possibly his best yet.

6. “Kinsey” - When the tagline for your film is “Let’s Talk About Sex,” it’s hard for me to envision a massive audience coming out to support your cause. Americans are and always have been greatly terrified of discussing anything deemed taboo and I don’t think that will ever change. The fact that Dr. Alfred Kinsey dared to break the mold and challenge people makes for a fascinating two-hour exploration of the human psyche and Liam Neeson is perfect every step of the way.

7. “Ray” - Nothing Jamie Foxx has done since has even come close to the magic he conjured up as Ray Charles, but with “The Soloist” due out later this year, he may have another shot at greatness. My only gripe with him is that he almost tried to make himself bigger than the legend he was portraying and, to me, that’s just wrong.

8. “Collateral” - No one shoots at night quite like Michael Mann. For him, the darkness almost becomes a character in itself just waiting to swallow up the unsuspecting cast members and force them to question their own sanity. Never was that more clear than in this dazzling action vehicle in which a reticent cab driver goes on the ride of his life with a extreme, silver-haired hitman leading the way. As the late, great Joel Siegel said, “It’s Tom Cruise Unplugged.”

9. “The Machinist” - This austere tale of an insomniac machinist is a Kafka-esque nightmare in which Christian Bale sheds weight faster than Jared Fogle. Director Brad Anderson keeps you guessing at every turn and, if you haven’t seen it, you’ll be astonished by just how far Bale goes for the sake of entertainment.

10. “The Dreamers” - Spicy Bond girl Eva Green, Michael Pitt, and Louis Garrel star as a group of avid cinephiles who go into seclusion during the 1968 student rebellions in France. The amount of wild sex in this film earned a devastating NC-17 rating, but the narrative here is about so much more than just what’s on the surface, so I urge you to check it out.

Redbelt

2008-07-29T10:05:00.001-04:00

David Mamet’s “Redbelt” takes you inside the crooked underworld of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in such an intellectual way that it’s easy to forget that what you’re actually experiencing is just another flashy tale of high-profile miscreants dabbling in organized depravity. No matter how much elegant brawling goes down, the faint inkling of a better, more concentrated film trying to find itself hovers over every inch of this somewhat unrealized screenplay. The only thing that keeps this propitious material from falling completely flat on its face is the fluent, Oscar-caliber performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry, the ever-wise Jiu-jitsu specialist who finds himself caught in a hazardous web of brutality and fraudulence.

His soulful embodiment of the fighter’s inner spirit is at least two cuts above your typical run-of-the-mill action hero, because he always seems to be operating at a level of resolute integrity that instantly grants him a leg up on anyone he interacts with. Whether he’s lecturing his students or mingling with mobsters, the Code of Honor dictates his every move and propels him to take the moral high ground whenever confronted with a potentially harmful (to the other person, that is) situation.

Think of it as “Chicken Soup For the Jiu-jitsu Warrior’s Soul” due to the plethora of Miyagi-esque anecdotes he offers up during the most trying moments and then prepare yourself for a finale so crazily exaggerated that you can’t help but want to explore it on a more cerebral level afterwards.

Mamet’s spicy dialogue is simply some of the finest erudite insolence you’ll ever encounter and is worth the price of admission on its own. Not even the family-friendly Tim Allen could resist the opportunity to indulge in the callous vulgarity present here, so you know that has to count for something. His convincing portrayal of a cocky, oafish actor looking for trouble almost earns him a pardon for the cinematic crimes of “The Shaggy Dog” and “Zoom” (Almost).

While not perfect, the quiet passion behind this picture is enough to recommend it for those who don’t require ninety-minutes of pure hellish combat to make them feel invigorated. Strong supporting work from Joe Mantegna and Emily Mortimer coupled with searing cinematography from last year’s Oscar-winner Robert Elswit put it somewhere toward the upper half of the Summer movie mound, so if you can find it, check it out before the hype hastily drifts away.

- *** out of 4

The Dark Knight

2008-07-20T19:33:00.003-04:00

As I waited in line to finally experience Christopher Nolan’s brooding, highly stylized pop masterpiece “The Dark Knight,” I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Meryl Streep. Think about it. Her exuberant big-screen adaptation of “Mamma Mia” had the morose misfortune of being released on the same day as one of the most deeply anticipated cinematic events of the decade. If only ABBA had the same furious cult clientele as the Caped Crusader! I then had a lucid recollection of Streep’s fourteen Academy Award nominations and decided that she could use a good old-fashioned reality check. After all, this is Batman we’re talking about.

Boy, is it ever. Nolan’s towering follow-up to 2005’s breath of fresh air “Batman Begins” opens with a bloody bang as the Joker and his troupe of traveling misfits force their way into a bank vault hoping to escape with a substantial piece of Gotham’s economic pie. They’re equipped with enough firepower to ward off even the slightest act of common man heroism and aren’t hesitant to eliminate innocent people in the process.

Since this scene is staged in a very raw, Lumet-esque fashion, we’re immediately taken inside the action and given a furious glimpse of what undiluted evil is capable of. I can definitely see how the menacing disposition of the film can evoke comparisons to sweeping crime dramas such as “Heat” and “The Departed,” because it transcends the superhero genre to the point that everything else feels like child’s play in comparison. This picture single-handedly raises the bar for the rest of the film community and it starts with the astounding epitome of violence turned in by the late Heath Ledger.

Unlike Nicholson in ‘89, Ledger takes the Joker to a place that few people thought he was capable of and steals the film right out from under the heels of the Dark Knight himself.

From the hideous grin to the smeared makeup that looks as if someone got a little too carried away in the kitchen, he’s a walking, talking enigma of carefree sadism that rarely meets a person he can’t make smile. His chilling back-story is told strictly from his own mouth and proves to be much more unnerving than any tiresome flashback. Watching him reminisce about his parents adds an even greater psychotic dimension to a character that wasn’t exactly short on intrigue.

As the Yin to Bruce Wayne’s Yang, he fiercely seizes control of Gotham City’s conspiratorial underworld and vows to give the citizens the type of erratic madman they deserve. While the mob is motivated by financial gain, the Joker is out to show that no matter how noble or idealistic society wants to be, anarchy will always reign supreme.

The plot meanders a bit during the first half as Bruce Wayne travels to Hong Kong to clear up a shoddy business deal, but not enough to detract from the task at hand. He’s dealing with the loss of his beloved Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to new DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and struggling to adjust to Batman’s declining popularity among the public. Regardless of how many criminals are bagged, the presence of a hero like Batman doesn’t generate the positive publicity it deserves and Wayne begins to question whether or not he should continue.

Christian Bale’s presence this time around is elevated to just the right level as he exudes the lively arrogance of a billionaire and the ominous intensity of a night-owl vigilante with equal superiority. Although it seems like his screen time is limited, he never fails to keep us believing in his desire to rid the world of scum and depravity. His working relationship with Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) ensures that as long as they need him, he’ll be eager to come through on their demands.

Echoing many of his sentiments is Harvey Dent, the newly elected District Attorney whose gung-ho attitude on crime has him on every mobster’s short list of people to dispose of. Eckhart is perfect at conveying political sincerity and the heartfelt speech he delivers to the press is one of the most compelling moments this film has to offer. His all-around affability is what makes the seething transformation to Two-Face that much harder to stomach, because he was one of the few men in power willing to take a stand.

Now, if your last visualization of Two-Face is Tommy Lee Jones’s clownish depiction, prepare yourself for something a lot creepier than normal and think twice about bringing the young ones. The CGI employed here is spectacularly scary and a significant upgrade over the previous incarnation.

Due to the surplus of outstanding performances, I’ll simply present a couple points I found noteworthy. First, Maggie Gyllenhaal is a welcomed replacement for Katie Holmes, but still seems too bland at moments when she should be more emotionally invested. Secondly, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman are in stellar form and, by now, turn in top-notch performances like clockwork. They take the material seriously and appear to be having a great time contributing to something of this caliber.

All of this adds up to “The Dark Knight” being one of the best films of the year and quite possibly the most superb comic book movie ever made. Whether it’s Ledger’s tour-de-force or Bale’s slick wizardry, the cards are on the table at every instant and Nolan continually has the winning hand.

The final showdown between Batman and the Joker is high-octane Summer entertainment at its best and caps off a mesmerizing one-hundred and fifty-two minutes of fanboy bliss. The Joker personifies every fear of unexplained wickedness humans experience and if the night is indeed darkest just before the dawn, I’m afraid it’s going to be a long night.

- **** out of 4

Rewind: Top 10 of 2005

2008-07-15T16:55:00.003-04:00

1. “Munich” - In 1993, Spielberg served up a furious one-two punch of “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List” that essentially blew everyone else out of the water. In 2005, he returned to the same powerhouse formula by releasing “War of the Worlds” and “Munich,” which enlightened my movie going experience in ways that few other filmmakers are capable of. His emotionally salient take on the cataclysmic events surrounding the 1972 Olympic games once again showed why he is the most fearless and versatile director in all of Hollywood.

Spearheaded by the finest performance of Eric Bana’s career, every second of this film throbs with implacable tension and I don’t think the final box office numbers come close to reflecting how deeply textured the material turns out to be. I’ve seen it three times now and happen to think it holds up quite nicely against the other top films of the decade, even if Oscar didn’t feel the same.

2. “A History of Violence” - For those of you who are familiar with my writing, you already know how much I admire the artistic, blood-spattered approach to picture making that David Cronenberg employs. He’s simply the best at taking the most vile and disgusting characters and somehow turning them into morally flawed human beings with whom the audience can sympathize.

Here, Viggo Mortensen plays Tom Stall, the owner of a small-town diner who carries a disturbing secret that comes dangerously close to tearing apart the only life his family has ever known. Virtuoso supporting work from Maria Bello and William Hurt takes the madness to a new level and sets the stage for a breathtaking final segment.

3. “Grizzly Man” - It’s sad, strange, and true. Werner Herzog’s beautifully painted portrait of neurotic oddball Timothy Treadwell takes the viewer inside the psyche of a man who had no limits on how far he was willing to go in the name of passion. The absence of any real judgment leaves you free to formulate your own opinion of his chilling demise, so regardless of how you feel, you’ll never forget him.

4. “Syriana” - Stephen Gaghan’s dense, intellectual exposé on the real winners and losers of the oil competition doesn’t really care if you understand all of the dialogue, because the fact that you’re listening is enough. It’s about as politically charged as a mainstream movie can get and is likely to have many viewers bored or disinterested long before the conclusion, but I found it fascinating in every sense of the word. Since oil prices appear to be the talk of the town at the moment, may I suggest revisiting this film for a more incisive look at what exactly we’re up against.

5. “The 40-Year Old Virgin” - Well, this is where it all started. This is where the hilariously uncouth brand of Judd Apatow comedy was born and, judging by last year’s tandem of “Knocked Up” and “Superbad,” he doesn’t appear to going away anytime soon. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco, and Catherine Keener put the pedal to the floor throughout every laugh-out-loud moment of this film and help mold it into one of the funniest comedies of all time.

6. “Good Night, and Good Luck” - George Clooney’s political acumen is firing on all cylinders during this penetrating exploration of media duplicity yet it never feels as if we’re actually watching a movie. It’s as if someone left the door to the newsroom open and we’re given a first-hand glimpse of how backdoor politics are conducted. You’ll be astounded by the amount of lies, deception, and betrayal that go into orchestrating a popular newscast and the delivery of this film is as down-to-earth as any I’ve ever seen.

7. “Capote” - Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman captures every inch of idiosyncratic behavior possessed by the legendary author and went beyond mere impersonation every step of the way.

8. “The Aristocrats” - An acquired taste, but without a doubt one of the great exercises in over-the-top absurdity ever brought to the screen. Comedians Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette catch over a hundred of their closest friends telling their own version of the dirtiest joke ever and it quickly becomes a raucous celebration of the first amendment.

9. “Cinderella Man” - Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti (Should have won an Oscar) make a terrific on-screen team and Howard’s fight direction is inspired to say the least. Had Crowe not lost his temper with a cell phone earlier that year, he would’ve been giver further consideration.

10. “Crash” - Paul Haggis’s interlocking drama surrounding Los Angeles race relations has many stellar performances, but three years later it doesn’t pack the same punch as it once did. Although the Best Picture award is official, I don’t think the academy made the right decision.

Hancock

2008-07-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

In many ways, Will Smith’s new film “Hancock” is the 2008 equivalent of Michael Bay’s inherently energetic scrap heap “Transformers.” It’s cluttered, clamorous, and complete with enough big budget brouhaha to find itself right at home amidst the mid-Summer mash-up we call July. It didn’t have to be this way. The studio wasn’t forced to abandon every ounce of hard-nosed badassery (Okay, so it’s not a word. Sue me.) in favor of a schmaltzy, Disney-esque narrative about reluctantly fulfilling your destiny, but sadly, that’s what becomes of this one following the halfway point. Not even Smith’s audacious, wisecracking charisma is able to salvage this sheer catastrophe of a screenplay and, when that happens, you know something is clearly out of whack.

Director Peter Berg (“The Kingdom”) has a unique premise that he’s not quite sure how to handle, so the frenzied plot progression ends up souring any feeling of delight generated by the mesmeric opening sequence. When a grizzled and whiskey-ridden Hancock is woken up by a young boy alerting him to a crime in progress, the film sets a very comedic tone and allows Smith to deliver some classic one-liners that almost make you forget that you’re watching a PG-13 superhero flick. His face is rough, his attitude is ornery, and public relations are visibly absent from his to-do list. He’s the perfect anti-hero, the kind of grumpy old boozer who would bring scotch to Sunday mass, because wine just doesn’t cut it.

Yes, Hancock is what many people would call an “a-hole,” but he doesn’t care as long they don’t say it to his face. No matter how many citizens he saves, his perception will never improve unless he opts for a complete personality makeover courtesy of Ray Embrey, played by Jason Bateman. Embrey’s plan is to send Hancock to jail and give Los Angeles a taste of life without the troubled superman around to save the day.

The energy Bateman brings to this role is more than the film deserves, because the script isn’t even close to living up to expectations. Then again, all three main characters are too skilled to fall victim to a putrid plot twist, so they do their best to weather the storm until the credits roll.

Hancock’s stint behind bars provides a few laughs, but mostly serves as a facilitator for future destruction of property. Since he has no real nemesis, Berg tries to highlight the internal struggle that consumes Hancock throughout much of the film, but even that loses steam in a hurry. His new and improved persona isn’t as interesting as the creators think it is and the scenes involving Charlize Theron are often too weird for words.

I love Charlize as much as the next guy, but was her involvement in the big picture necessary? My guess is that the writers wanted as many bombastic confrontations as they could fit and didn’t care how much talent they wasted in the process.

If Dickens wrote “A Tale of Two Cities,” then this is a tale of two films. One is a hilarious look at an alcoholic loner who is anything but your friendly neighborhood superhero and the other is an overblown clunker that never offers a hint of something we haven’t seen a hundred times before. As for which one prevails, I think I’ll let you decide.

- ** ½ out of 4

Rewind: Top 10 of 2006

2008-07-08T12:35:00.003-04:00

Well, it’s that time of year again when people of all ages flock to the theatre hoping to catch the latest holiday blockbuster or Oscar frontrunner, while critics throughout the country begin compiling their list of the best films from the last twelve months. For me, 2006 was a vastly improved year at the movies and almost made me forget about all of those horrendously awful remakes that were so gracefully offered to us last year.

Whether it was Martin Scorsese’s riveting return to form in “The Departed" or Eli Roth’s blood-spattered trip through Europe in “Hostel," every film seemed to bring something new and exciting to the table. Even flops such as “Lady in the Water" and “The Hills Have Eyes" were still somewhat watchable despite not having any apparent cinematic value. Yes, it was an interesting year.

One that gave us Clint Eastwood’s magnificent WWII duo “Flags of Our Fathers"/"Letters From Iwo Jima" as well as the Wayans brothers’ dreadful comedy “Little Man." For every great film to be released this year, there were at least three or four bad ones to follow, but I guess that’s pretty much how every year is.

If you want to make the most out of your movie going experience, you may have to go out of your way to see films that you would normally pass right over, because they could leave you pleasantly surprised. After countless deliberations, I’ve managed to come up with a pretty solid list of what I believe to be the best films of 2006 as follows:

1. "The Departed" - Set on the cruel, gritty streets of South Boston, Martin Scorsese's star-studded crime drama completely blew audiences away with its polished direction and ferociously intense action sequences. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon deliver first-rate performances as two rats trying to find one another and Jack Nicholson celebrates being 70 with his aggressive portrayal of an aging mob boss. It's great to see Scorsese returning to form and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining film this Oscar season.

2. "United 93"/"Pan's Labyrinth" - Many people said it was too soon for a film of this nature, but I think the time couldn't have been more appropriate. Paul Greengrass created a hauntingly realistic account of the events surrounding 9/11 and should really be commended for taking on such a controversial project. I could see complaining if the film wasn't so well executed, but that's just not the case. For those who haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking it out and the final segment is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece never gets old and always keeps you utterly entranced by its stunning depiction of how a young girl copes with change during a time of complete chaos. The film pretty much speaks for itself.

3. "Borat" - If you haven't familiarized yourself with the comedic stylings of Sacha Baron Cohen, now would be the time to do so. His film has become the surprise hit of the year and could earn him an Oscar nomination come January. Fictional Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev embarks on an epic journey across the United States to get a real taste of American culture and produces some truly hilarious moments along the way. While it may offend some, those who enjoy Baron Cohen's fearless energy will be treated to one of the funniest films I've ever seen.

4. "Casino Royale" - Yes, this is a James Bond film and yes, it is that good. Martin Campbell's second journey into the world of James Bond completely redefined the struggling franchise and gave Daniel Craig the opportunity to bring the character back to life. Doing away with the gadgets proved to be a key element for success and Craig's rugged disregard for authority made every scene that much more believable.

5. "Blood Diamond"/"The Good Shepherd" - Leonardo DiCaprio's second appearance on this list shows just how great his year actually was. Here, he's sporting a passable Rhodesian accent and playing the role of a South African mercenary trying to get his hands on a rare diamond that has been buried in the African jungle. In the hands of director Edward Zwick, it becomes an action-packed exposè on the diamond industry while boasting superb supporting work from both Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou.

De Niro's first directorial feature since 1993's "A Bronx Tale" is a long, penetrating look into the shadowy past of the CIA that is often too explanatory for its own good. Damon gives the most understated performance of the year as Edward Wilson and should've entered into the Academy Award discussion long before anything was set in stone. My only beef with this flick is that the wonderful Angelina Jolie went sadly underused, but otherwise, it's something special.

6. "Half Nelson" - Ryan Gosling's startling portrayal of a drug addicted school teacher earned him plenty of rave reviews and helped this poignant picture go above and beyond the normal expectations of the genre. Each scene was full of heartfelt emotion and its themes about life are especially relevant in today's society.

7. "Thank You For Smoking" - This sharply funny satire on the cigarette industry allows Aaron Eckhart to shine as tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor and really establish himself as a lead actor. Jason Reitman's directorial debut is one that knows both its material and audience in brilliantly comphrensive detail.

8. "The Descent" - Neil Marshall's chillingly claustrophobic tale of six friends who get lost on a climbing expedition is terror at its finest.

9. "Hard Candy" - Here is where my infatuation with Ellen Page began. This Lions Gate shock fest opens ever so subtly until the moment where the tables are turned in a nightmarish direction and, believe me, you'll be squirming.

10. "Flags of Our Fathers" - Clint Eastwood's first of two WWII films told the reluctantly heroic story of three soldiers who returned home from Iwo Jima and became pawns in the US government's attempt to sell the war to the American public. Ryan Philippe, Adam Beach, and Jesse Bradford all make the most of their time on-screen and bring justice to their real-life counterparts.

Honorable Mention: "Apocalypto," "Notes on a Scandal," "Children of Men," "An Inconvenient Truth," "The Devil Wears Prada," and "The Last King of Scotland."

Wanted

2008-07-01T10:06:00.003-04:00

If you think director Timur Bekmambetov’s name sounds cool, just wait until you experience his latest hyper-kinetic feast for the carnage-hungry eyes “Wanted” starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie. It’s a recklessly rip-ass Summer action flick that boasts an arsenal of gunfire and absurdity impressive enough to leave Michael Bay scratching his head. You know the old saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb?" Well, this film isn’t anything like that, because it comes in like a lion and out like a tiger just waiting to explode with every ounce of ravenous vivacity available.

McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, a lowly account manager who is trapped in the monotonous world of cubicles and corporate tools with no feasible way of forging a more fecund daily existence. His wife is having an affair with his best friend, his boss is constantly pestering him about expense reports, and, at one point, his bank account contains a measly fourteen dollars. Needless to say, his life doesn’t appear to be going according to plan, so Jolie’s Fox (Coincidence? I think not) showing up with a vengeance to rescue to him is actually a blessing in disguise. She informs him that his father was killed and that he must begin fulfilling his destiny as one of the world’s most deadly assassins.

At first, he adamantly denies having any superhuman abilities, but when he shoots the wings off of flies, the gloves come off in a hurry. His training basically consists of being beaten to a pulp until he toughens up, so before you plan on taking the kids, be aware that Bekmambetov takes a brutal, no-frills approach to staging violence. Whatever degree of sucker Wesley had in him is quickly disposed of and his membership into The Fraternity is solidified following an extensive recovery.

Since the leader of the group is played by Morgan Freeman, we’re treated to some tongue-in-cheek scenes in which he spews out language seldom heard from the man who once played God. He plays Sloan with all the slick shadiness we’d expect from such a character and still has some of the villainous persona leftover from last year‘s “Gone Baby Gone.” When he lets Wesley in on where the list of targets comes from, the film takes an even more surreal turn toward the stylized dream state that made the graphic novel so popular in the first place.

Their motto is “Kill one, save a thousand,” but they operate with no guarantee that their victims will actually cause destruction. Each assassination is carried out with the utmost skill and, like the last two Bourne films, the camera never stops moving long enough to let you catch your breath. Whether it’s curving bullets or flipping vehicles, this film indulges in every over-the-top shoot ‘em up sequence possible and I was with them every step of the way.

Sure, the script has a few discrepancies regarding it’s final act, but the hot-blooded adrenaline rush it provides is exactly what a June release should strive for. The performances are terrific, the action is electric, and Jolie has never looked better.

In essence, the entire picture is a giant middle finger to anyone who slaves away in a dead-end desk job hoping for a big break that will never come. For those in The Fraternity, their day just wouldn’t be complete without a good shootout or high-speed chase to get them going. As McAvoy would say: What the F@&% have you done lately?

- *** 1/2 out of 4

Finding Amanda

2008-06-26T15:36:00.002-04:00

With such a Lifetime-esque title, I can easily see how one could mistake “Finding Amanda” for a trite, melodramatic sap-fest that appeals strictly to the estrogen crowd. But after listening to ten minutes of writer/director Peter Tolan’s profanity-laced venom masquerading as dialogue, it’s easier to see that any sense of sentimentality you may have been expecting has been openly checked at the door. This is a crass, free-spirited black comedy in which public indecency is just as popular as the slot machines inside the casino.

Matthew Broderick stars as Taylor, a smarmy television writer who’s struggling with just about every addiction you can think of yet promises to travel to Vegas and rescue his niece from prostitution. He vows not to gamble one cent while there, but the irresistible air of the track becomes too much to bear and soon enough the bank is prepared to thwart any major transaction he might be planning. When his wife discovers a check missing, she immediately catches on to his scheme and threatens to dissolve their marriage upon his return.

After a series of disappointments, Broderick makes a splendid return to the screen and delivers one of the most starkly funny performances of his career. No matter how despicable Taylor’s behavior becomes, he always seems to emit the ideal amount of humor and charisma to keep the audience on his side. The indelible personality that made Ferris Bueller such an iconic character is still very much in play even if on a more disheveled, self-conscious level.

When he finally spots Amanda (Brittany Snow), she appears to be in better shape than he is regardless of how many restroom rendezvous she’s been a part of. Her hair is bleach blond, her figure is tight, and she’s always perky enough to make you wonder whether her issues are indeed worthy of a stint in rehab. She does have somewhat of an anger-management problem, but Tolan doesn’t toil enough in that area, so I won’t bother discussing it.

Snow is desperately trying to shed her innocent girl image and, for the most part, her performance isn’t all that bad. She has a strangely honest on-screen connection with Broderick and her intensity level during some of the more critical scenes is commendable.

As the film sails toward its conclusion, the relationship between Taylor and Amanda is strained in more ways than one and the likelihood of anyone going to rehab diminishes by the second.

Their final encounter is endearing and evasive at the same time, but the last shot may frustrate those looking for a fairy tale ending. It’s not great, but it’s surely more enjoyable than “What Happens in Vegas” right?

- *** out of 4

Be Kind Rewind and Shutter

2008-06-23T20:26:00.003-04:00

“Be Kind Rewind” is a film for anyone who has ever been even the least bit enchanted by the inspirational magic of Hollywood’s finest technical wizardry. No matter how offbeat or fanciful things became, I couldn’t help but feel enamored by the production team’s ingenious approach to recreating some of the industry’s most unforgettable pictures. Whether you’re twenty-five or fifty-five, you’d be hard-pressed to find yourself not admiring the uncorrupted sentiment behind director Michel Gondry’s innovative cinematic daydream and I can only hope that it gains a stronger audience on DVD.

Taking a page out of the Surrealist’s Handbook, Gondry takes an otherwise loopy scenario involving a man whose brain becomes magnetized and transforms it into a sweet, good-natured meta-comedy that had me smiling throughout its entire one-hundred and two minute running time.

Jack Black and Mos Def make a winning on-screen pair of small town eccentrics and provide just the right balance between heart and absurdity to keep the film from experiencing an early downfall. Since they could actually pass for a couple of lumbering video store clerks from Passaic, Gondry doesn’t have to go out of his way to make the viewer believe that what they’re watching is plausible.

Had a showy A-list cast attempted to bring this story to life, I don’t think it would’ve survived much past the developmental stage, because Black and Def’s fervent enthusiasm for the material appears difficult to match.

Like most of Gondry’s finest work, this one didn’t receive the expanded release it deserved. While audiences were off indulging in tedious debris such as “Jumper” and “Semi Pro,” this quiet treasure struggled to crack the top-10 at the weekend box office and is now relegated to the shelf at your local video store. Here’s one tape I hope doesn’t get erased.

- *** out of 4

If anyone can offer a compelling reason as to why we needed a soulless, Americanized version of “Shutter,” I’d love to hear it.

Seriously, can anyone justify the creation of such a dense, mind-numbing excuse for a thriller that has absolutely no exhilaration whatsoever? I’m still waiting.

Rather than make you sweat it out, I’ll just go ahead and say that no such rationalization exists and let you in on just how insipid this film turns out to be.

Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor play a newlywed couple who travel to Tokyo and begin seeing the spirit of a dead woman in their photographs. At first, they have no idea who she is, but it’s later revealed that she’s one of his old girlfriends who never quite let go of the relationship. Is she really appearing from beyond the grave to terrorize them? Well, it’s either that or someone has been knocking back a little too much sake for my taste.

Then again, does it really matter? The so-called terrifying resolution to this tale is so utterly inept that it wouldn’t even be cruel if I revealed it right here, so before you let the trailer suck you in, take a deep breath and think carefully about what you’re about to do.

- * out of 4

The Departed

2008-06-23T11:16:00.003-04:00

Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed" is a gritty yet exceptionally riveting film that paints a stunning portrait of what can happen when the Massachusetts State Police Department goes head-to-head with a Boston crime syndicate. It’s being marketed as a remake of 2002’s Hong Kong cop film “Infernal Affairs" , but it’s not so much a remake as it is an Americanized revision of an already intriguing story.

Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan have simply taken the basic structure of its predecessor and reworked it into a glorified Hollywood action film full of unexpected twists and brilliant performances.

Everything from the rapid, graphic violence to the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' made it wildly entertaining and demonstrated Scorsese’s superb ability to lull his audience into submission.

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to be getting even better with each performance and his on-screen presence has grown tremendously. I think the decision to pair him with Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson was a brilliant move, because they seem to feed off of one another to make each scene that much more believable.

Here, DiCaprio plays William Costigan, a rookie cop who is pulled out of the police academy to infiltrate the Boston mob run by Nicholson’s character, Frank Costello.

At the same time, Costello sends his own “rat" into the police department in hopes of gaining even more control over illegal activity. Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a career criminal, who was taken in by Costello at a young age and given a first-hand look at what life in the mob is all about. Sullivan quickly rises up the police ranks and is soon put in charge of the entire investigation involving Costello’s illegal dealings.

Both DiCaprio and Damon deliver thrilling, first-rate performances, but I would give a slight edge to DiCaprio, because he completely consumes everything that Costigan stands for and is ultimately the more sympathetic of the two characters.

When both organizations find out they may have a “rat", a complex game of cat-and-mouse ensues as both “rats" are trying to find one another before it’s too late. As if the story wasn’t intricate enough, Scorsese includes a storyline in which Costigan and Sullivan are both involved with the same woman, which serves to complicate things even more when she becomes pregnant.

At the head of everything is Irish mob boss Frank Costello, whose appetite for violence matches his appetite for women. Jack Nicholson is known for his dark, off-the-wall characters and what he achieves with Costello has to be one of his best. I think the fact that Nicholson rewrote the character to make him even more rotten, pretty much sums up how great the performance really is. During the opening monologue, we hear Costello say “I don’t wanna be a product of my environment I want my environment to be a product of me" and he is determined to stand by that statement.

At 69, Jack seems to be having a great time indulging in such over-the-top roles and should receive an Oscar nomination in February.

During the last twenty minutes of the film, things become a little hectic and bodies begin to pile up, which all lead up to a rooftop showdown between Costigan and Sullivan to determine their fate.

In Martin Scorsese’s world, there is no such thing as a happy ending and “The Departed" proves to be no different. For every good thing that happens, there are five bad things that follow, which makes the ending seem like the only appropriate outcome to one of the best films of the year.

Scorsese is known for incorporating biblical themes into his films and in the end, death may be the only true way for his characters to atone for their sins.

- **** out of 4

The Devil Wears Prada

2008-06-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

On the outside, Director David Frankel’s new film “The Devil Wears Prada" appears to be nothing more than over-hyped fluff being marketed as a deliciously funny tale about the inside world of the fashion industry. While this may sound appealing to some people, I had my doubts about whether or not it could possibly deliver and was a little skeptical about what kind of movie it was going to be. It took only a few minutes before I realized my negativity had been premature and I had a feeling I was in for quite the surprise.

Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, it tells the story of Andy Sachs, an ambitious young woman who comes to New York in hopes of becoming a high profile journalist, but ultimately ends up working as an assistant at one of the largest fashion magazines in the world. Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, soon finds that it will be no easy task keeping up with the lavish lifestyle of fashion’s elite, but is determined to succeed. Whether it’s getting coffee or buying clothes, she seems willing to do anything to make a name for herself.

At this point, I found the plot to be rather ordinary in its development and it quickly became fairly predictable storytelling.

It isn’t until we meet Andy’s boss that the film really begins to take off and acquire a much needed boost of comedic energy.

Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, rules over her empire with an iron fist and when it comes to fashion designing, she is almost impossible to please. Since the company lives and dies by her opinion, everyone in her presence better have something important to add or should not even bother coming back.

In a purely dazzling performance, Streep consumes the role of Miranda and delivers her lines with such devilish elegance that she appears to be on her way to yet another Oscar nomination. Hathaway clearly benefits from having Streep on screen and her performance is more convincing because of it.

As Andy becomes more involved in the company, her personal life starts to suffer and she soon has no time for anything other than catering to Miranda’s needs. In a humorous, yet outlandish scene, Miranda demands that Andy obtain two copies of the unpublished Harry Potter novel for her children to read while traveling. To me, it seems a bit unbelievable, but I guess you just have to go with it.

Finally, all of her hard work pays off when she is chosen to accompany Miranda on a trip to Paris and get a real taste of what the fashion world is really all about. She instantly learns how harsh it can be and starts to think that it may not be what she is looking for. It is about this time that the film goes on autopilot and just kind of glides toward the conclusion.

Despite the somewhat predictable ending, strong performances from both Streep and Hathaway make enough noise along the way to add an impressive quality to a film that would otherwise be of little interest to people like myself. Frankel manages to paint an intriguing picture of a relentlessly shallow industry that will stop at nothing to achieve perfection. By having a rare combination of great acting and cleverly written comedy, it is able flourish at a level that most films of this genre rarely ascend to. What I think works best about this film is its ability to appeal to people of all ages and as Miranda Priestly would say “That’s all."

- *** ½ out of 4

Half Nelson

2008-06-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

Merriam-Webster defines the term half nelson as “a wrestling hold in which the holder puts an arm under the opponent's arm and exerts press on the back of the neck." One of the main purposes of this hold is to exert total control over your opponent and make them feel as if there is no way out.

This idea of complete immobilization is what I believe to be the focal point of Ryan Fleck’s remarkable new film “Half Nelson" in which a middle-school teacher forms an unlikely bond with a student as his life continues a downward spiral into a world full of drugs, depression, and disappointment.

Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) spends his days enlightening inner-city kids on such topics as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Attica prison riot as if his life were going exactly the way he imagined.

Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As soon as the bell rings, he instantly becomes a desperate junkie looking for his daily fix of crack cocaine. For the most part, he has been able to effectively hide his addiction from his family and school, but it becomes quite apparent as he continues to use. One day after a basketball game, a student walks into the bathroom to find him lying on the floor and utterly incapacitated, but isn’t quite sure what to think.

When he finally gets up, he agrees to give her a ride home and a unique friendship is formed that will later take on even more meaning. Since the pace of the film can seem quite dull at times, the performances of Gosling and newcomer Shareeka Epps have to be that much more powerful because of it. In undoubtedly the finest performance of his career, Gosling delivers a stunning portrayal of Dunne and makes sure that every note of this film rings true to its audience. He creates a fascinating portrait of drug addiction and shows just how much your life can be consumed by such a dangerous substance.

Epps’s performance is also Oscar-worthy as the student who befriends Dunne and finds out that not everyone is as perfect as they seem. A scene I found to be particularly poignant is one in which Dan is having dinner with his parents and all he can think about is getting home to his crack pipe.

This, I feel is where the title comes in, because no matter how hard he tries to free himself, there is ultimately no way out. “Half Nelson" is a believably engaging film that latches onto its audience and never lets up. Thanks to a brilliant screenplay by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, it is able to go above and beyond the normal expectations of the genre and become a painfully truthful story that hits you directly at the core.

- **** out of 4

An Inconvenient Truth

2008-06-23T11:13:00.000-04:00

“America has not led but fled on the issue of global warming" says Senator John Kerry when expressing his opinion on the US government’s lack of effort in trying to combat the cultural phenomenon known as global warming. It’s an ongoing crisis that has left scientists frequently pondering its effects on society, while consistently urging politicians to render more energy conscious decisions.

Director Davis Guggenheim’s breathtaking new documentary “An Inconvenient Truth" couldn’t come at a better time as the United States continues to burn fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate that could ultimately lead to the end of the world as we know it.

Former presidential candidate Al Gore has made it his mission to go from country to country informing people of the dangers that await if we continue down this dark path of destruction and I think people have finally started to listen.

Whether in a college classroom or a political convention, Gore has taken it upon himself to get the message across and has become one of the leading spokespeople on the subject. Here he is in rare form as he enthusiastically presents a revealing slideshow in which he provides the audience with some haunting evidence that illustrates just how serious the problem has become.

Although it may seem like a classroom setting at times, Gore keeps it interesting by putting his own amusing spin on the situation and shows that he really does have a sense of humor. His argument begins with the fact that Carbon Dioxide is incessantly building up in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels and will eventually lead to higher temperatures throughout the world.

He then goes through a series of graphs and charts that offer further proof of the damage being done. Some of his most startling statistics include “the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years" and “the flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade", which are unpleasant to think about, but undeniable nonetheless.

After a while, I began to wonder if anything positive would come from this, but I guess there aren’t a lot of positive things to be said. When you think about the amount of time the government has had to address this, you can almost cringe at how many times this issue has been ignored.

It is something that affects all of us and will bring about catastrophic consequences if not dealt with soon. Gore seems to have genuine concern for what’s going on and is doing his best to get everyone else to join in the effort. I feel it was a great move to turn his presentation into a documentary, because it gives people worldwide a chance to see just what he is talking about. Gore manages to pack enough vital information into his one-hundred minutes that anyone who sees it should feel significantly motivated regardless of their political affiliation.

Gore handles the subject with the utmost sincerity and appears to be speaking as a concerned citizen rather than a politician. His evocative lecture is sure to stir many emotions and several of the images will stick with you long after it’s over. This is without a doubt one the most important films of the year and proves once again, that the truth really does hurt.

- **** out of 4

Apocalypto

2008-06-23T11:12:00.000-04:00

From the moment “The Passion of the Christ" was released in 2004, Mel Gibson’s career has been a non-stop roller coaster ride full of commercial success and public humiliation. Despite grossing $370 million at the box-office, his film was condemned by numerous religious sects and he has subsequently become the poster boy for all things anti-Semitic. Some critics even felt that his star in Hollywood was quickly disappearing and that he would be hard-lucked to find another job anytime soon.

Well, it’s 2006 and Mel has returned once again in an attempt to repair what’s left of his public image and show people why he’s still one of the top directors in the business.Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is another blood-soaked work of genius from a filmmaker who has made a living off dealing with controversial subject matter and could be a major player when Oscar time rolls around.

Deep in the Yucatán peninsula, Gibson tells the harrowing story of a Mayan warrior named Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who is chosen by the rulers to be a human sacrifice and must ultimately go to great lengths to be with his family once again. In his big-screen debut, Youngblood delivers an intense, haunted performance that really resonates with the audience and makes you feel as if you’re right there with him.

He handles the dialogue with great skill and never was there a point where I felt he was trying too hard to make everything believable. That, I feel is one of Gibson’s talents a director, because no matter what the scene requires, his actors always seem to rise to the occasion. Since there is rarely a dull moment, the audience is treated to some thrilling battle sequences full of enough piercing and decapitation that it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Some people may criticize it for being too graphic or gratuitous, but I have a hard time believing that, at some point, their society wasn’t really like that.

They performed sacrifices just like many other great civilizations and their methods were not always the most wholesome or compassionate, so I think the bloodshed was important in showing what these people really went through.

Gibson’s tremendous dedication to this project should certainly be acknowledged and casting all indigenous people is one of the main reasons for this film being as extraordinary as it is.

Although there are some observable anachronisms, Gibson and his team have succeeded in creating a skillfully written and beautifully filmed movie in which the Mayan culture is portrayed as a strong, yet doomed empire that had no idea of the danger that awaited them in the future.

No one in Hollywood needs a hit more than Mel Gibson and I think he has finally found what he is looking for. Like the Mayans themselves, Gibson became overly confident in his abilities and thought that he could do anything he wanted without suffering from the consequences.

Regardless of whether or not the public ever forgives him, I feel that with Apocalypto, he has achieved his own personal salvation.

- *** ½ out of 4

The Pursuit of Happyness

2008-06-23T11:11:00.001-04:00

It’s 1981. Yuppies everywhere have flocked to such financially flourishing cities as New York and San Francisco in hopes of getting their first taste of success in the Reagan era. While they immerse themselves in a world full of materialism, greed, and outright superficiality, 27-year-old Chris Gardner is struggling just to make ends meet. He invested all of his money into a bone density scanner that most doctors refer to as a “luxury" that they don’t really need. He’s broke, scared, and yet not quite ready to give up on his dreams. His wife has had enough of his inability to provide for them and threatens to run off with their son until he gets things straightened out.

What happens after that is the subject of Italian director Gabriele Muccino’s inspiring new film “The Pursuit of Happyness" (misspelling intended) which follows Chris’s remarkable journey from living in relative obscurity to becoming the head of his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.

Since Chris is such an easy character to root for, Will Smith is the perfect fit for a role of this magnitude and he undoubtedly deserves any accolades that might come his way. He turns Chris into an emotionally complex character who is willing to do whatever he can to make a better life for his son , even if it means sleeping in shelters and subway bathrooms along the way. His luck changes when he hears about a competitive internship at Dean Witter Reynolds that will award just one person with a job in the end, but he decides to go for it anyway.

Since the program is essentially designed for people with financial stability, there is no salary involved and Chris is forced to go from shelter to shelter with his son until they can afford a place of their own. His life immediately becomes consumed with nothing but work as he has to attend the internship during the day, while still selling medical equipment in his spare time.

Just when his situation couldn’t get more desperate, he is hit with a $400 penalty for being late on his taxes and is left with just $23 in the bank.

Despite his economic shortcomings, his time at Dean Witter has been well spent and he is rapidly becoming one of the top interns in the group. He has been getting all of his work done in almost half the time, because he has to be at the shelter by 5:00 p.m. to ensure a room for the night. Smith’s charm and quick-wittedness are in full effect here as he delivers one the finest and most delicate performances of his career to date.

His real-life son Jaden, plays 5-year-old Christopher Gardner and their heartfelt chemistry on-screen makes them one of the most compelling parent-child pairings since Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. If I seem to be talking a lot about Smith, it’s because there’s not much else worth talking about. He gives an extraordinary performance in an otherwise ordinary film that would be nowhere without his invaluable cinematic presence.

I will say that it’s probably the most depressing film I’ve seen since 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby" and if your heart is not wrenched at some point, it’s probably non-existent.

Although we’re aware that everything has to get better, we still feel satisfied when Chris finally gets what he deserves.Overall, Muccino’s English-language debut is a pure, satisfying account of Gardner’s inspirational life story, but it never really falls into the category of being a great film.

It does, however, serve as a personal showcase for Smith to finally shine under the spotlight and gain further credibility as a dramatic performer. Chris’s story is one that needed to be told and while reading the closing credits, we realize that his pursuit of happiness had finally ended.

- *** out of 4

Snakes on a Plane

2008-06-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

When I first read that Samuel L. Jackson was going to star in a film called “Snakes on a Plane", I instantly questioned what exactly he was getting himself into. For an actor who has done such great work in films like “Pulp Fiction" and “A Time to Kill", it seemed like a risky move to sign on to a film that had such an off the wall story line, but I figured if anyone could pull it off, he could.

After months of generating an absurd amount of buzz on the internet, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the finished product and hopefully I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Believe it or not, there’s actually an intriguing story here regarding the origin of the snakes and how they came to be on the plane in the first place, but appears to take a back seat when the mayhem finally ensues.

Jackson plays Neville Flynn, an FBI agent assigned to escort a federal witness on a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles in hopes of putting high-profile gangster Eddie Kim away for good. To prevent that from happening, Kim has deviously arranged for a crate full of poisonous snakes to be put in the plane’s cargo hold with a timer installed so the snakes will be released at some time during the trip.

If that wasn’t enough, he has even had the leis laced with pheromones to ensure that the snakes will attack the passengers more violently.

Now that sounds like it would make for an exciting thriller, but there are many elements of this film that prevent it from becoming as good as advertised such as its clichéd characters and horrendous dialogue.

“We have to put a barrier between us and the snakes" and “Great, snakes on crack" are only a couple of the ridiculously bad lines this film has to offer, but I assure you there are plenty more where these came from.

Another tiring aspect of this film lies in the fact that there are only so many places a snake can harm you and it begins to get quite monotonous after a while. Since Director David R. Ellis makes sure that no area of the human body goes untouched, prepare to be fully disgusted by the time the credits roll and for those afraid of snakes, may I suggest spending your time on another film in its place (World Trade Center perhaps?).

By the time Jackson delivers his already iconic line, I’d had it with not only the snakes, but the entire film as well. Jackson’s performance seems to be the lone bright spot of this film, but isn’t enough to overcome such dreadful material. I understand that it wasn’t supposed to be taken seriously, but I expected a little more substance from such a promising movie and wasn’t given any.

“Snakes on a Plane" is a bad, but also very entertaining film that doesn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations. It had the makings of an exhilarating suspense film, but insisted on settling for trite character development and cheap thrills. For a quick summary, I think Public Enemy said it best when they said “Don’t believe the hype."

- ** out of 4

Lady in the Water

2008-06-23T11:07:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or has M. Night Shayamalan’s promising career as a filmmaker gone completely South the past few years? It seems that with each new film, he becomes increasingly boring and anti-climactic in his storytelling and always tries to make his films look as if they are more important than they actually are.

His latest movie “Lady in the Water" is no exception as he yet again attempts to pile as many philosophical themes regarding politics and the human condition as he can into 110 minutes of film. His intentions are noble, but unfortunately the end result just isn’t strong enough to support such deep and profound material.

His film centers around an old Philadelphia apartment complex called The Cove that is said to have a mysterious being living at the bottom of its swimming pool. It appears only after the pool has closed for the night and has reportedly been stealing random items left behind by the people who live there.

When it’s brought to the attention of the superintendent, he promises to look into it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) is an honest man who goes about his business everyday constantly doing repairs and other odd jobs to keep his tenants happy, which helps keep his mind off the death of his family. Despite not having a very demanding role, Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) delivers a sincere performance as Heep and is one of the few bright spots this film has to offer. While in his apartment late one night, he hears strange noises coming from the pool so he immediately goes to check it out.

It turns out that it’s not a creature, but a woman that has been living in the pool and causing quite the stir among the tenants. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) and she is a narf (water nymph) that has come from the Blue World to try and save the human race from destroying itself. Now that sounds interesting and all, but it quickly becomes so preposterous and far-fetched that not even Shayamalan’s sense of humor can save this one from an early demise. Whether they were intended to be or not, many moments in this film are so laugh out loud ridiculous that they actually make the film a little more bearable.

There is one scene in which a little boy is receiving theoretical messages while staring at cereal boxes and I couldn’t help but wonder what Shayamalan was thinking about when he wrote that absurd thing. As if the plot wasn’t silly enough, we later find out that certain people living in the building have been pre-selected to help Story return home safely. Determined to find out who they are, Cleveland goes to an old woman who through her daughter’s translation, tells him the bedtime story of the narf and how an eagle is supposed to come down and take her back to the Blue World.

He is told that the purpose of the narf’s visit is to come in contact with a writer living in the building and inform him that his work will ultimately change the world forever. By providing this information, Shayamalan manages to take all of the suspense out of the story and make it quite predictable the rest of the way.

The fact that the writer turns out to be the character played by Shayamalan himself shows just how self-indulgent he has truly become. Although there are a few good jolts in the film, the pointlessness of the ending made everything else seem wasted.

From a director who created such brilliant films as “The Sixth Sense" and “Signs", I found it to be a great disappointment.Shayamalan has created another film with an intriguing premise that wasted no time becoming pointless and forgettable. For those who thought 2004’s “The Village" was just a fluke, you’ll be frustrated to know that not much has changed and that this one is indeed dead in the water.

- ** out of 4

Click

2008-06-23T11:06:00.001-04:00

Over the past decade, Adam Sandler has made numerous attempts at developing a more serious on-screen persona, but few have been critically well-received. Whether he was a loud-mouth golfer in “Happy Gilmore" or a mild-mannered chef in “Spanglish", Sandler just can’t quite convince people that he can be consistently on-target with his performances.

His latest film “Click" has all of the offbeat humor and out-of-control antics you would expect from him, but I still felt there was something missing.This time around he plays a workaholic architect named Michael, who works so much that he hardly sees his kids and has little time to spend talking with his wife.

When he misses the majority of his son’s swim meet and is forced to cancel a family camping trip, he decides to take his life into his own hands and go for a drive.

Oddly, Bed, Bath, and Beyond is the only store open at the time, but it just so happens to offer the remedy he is looking for. It is here that he meets Morty, played hilariously by Christopher Walken, who gives him a universal remote that has the power to control anything with the push of a button.

Michael soon learns just how powerful it can be when it begins to fast forward on its own and leave him wondering how much of his life he missed out on during that time. At one point, it skips an entire year in which his kids grow up and are no longer interested in the same activities as before and Michael can’t believe what has happened.

I found it to be reminiscent of 2004’s “The Butterfly Effect" in that both characters are desperately trying to improve their lives, but each change doesn’t always bring about the most favorable outcome.

As Michael continues to use the remote, his life becomes worse off than it was before and doesn’t appear that it will get any better. Although there are some good laughs involving Michael’s neighbor, it quickly becomes a very sad and depressing story about a man who tries so hard to make things right that he ultimately ends up losing everything he had worked for. Sandler portrays these emotions with great sincerity, but often looks as if he is trying too hard to deliver the perfect scene. I also felt that some of the more critical scenes were sometimes ruined by humor taking over at inappropriate times and leaving much to be desired.

Just when you think Sandler has gone serious, he says or does something to make you believe he’s still the same loud-mouth he’s always been. As a fan of most of Sandler’s films ( “The Waterboy" and “Little Nicky" not included) , I usually enjoy his unique sense of humor, but also like to see him expand his talent and deal with more adult situations.

During the film’s final sequence, many questions are answered and problems are resolved, but I felt a little cheated with the way it decided to end and everything I had just witnessed now came into question. If there is anything important being said by this movie, it is that no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone.

Overall, “Click" was an entertaining movie about a man trying to spend more time with his family, but the imbalance between emotion and humor seemed to be too much at times. It is a film that’s not quite sure whether it wants to be a slapstick comedy or a heartfelt drama, which for me makes it an enjoyable, yet somewhat disappointing film.

- ** ½ out of 4

Clerks II

2008-06-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

When “Clerks" opened at Cannes in 1994, it instantly took the festival by storm and presented people with a new brand of humor that was so outrageously comical that it almost received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. It’s now twelve years later and writer/director Kevin Smith is back to where it all began in hopes of regaining the edge that made him one of the top independent filmmakers of the 90’s.

For someone who has never been the biggest fan of Kevin Smith, I walked into “Clerks II" with a deeply open mind and immediately wondered whether or not it could possibly be as freshly funny as the original. From the minute the film started, I realized that Smith has without a doubt returned to form and that his sense of humor is as keen as ever.

Like its predecessor, it follows the lives of everyone’s favorite slackers Dante Hicks and Randal Graves as they attempt to find meaning in life while spending their days working endlessly in a convenient store. Early one morning, Dante arrives to find that his beloved Quick Stop is completely up in flames due to Randal’s blunder with the coffee pot and will not be reopening anytime soon.

With few options in front of them, they eventually find jobs working at a fast food restaurant called Mooby’s and get right back to their same old uneventful lifestyle. I find it hard to believe that Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson aren’t in more movies, because they are extremely funny and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in their roles. Their offbeat conversations and inappropriate humor are a key element to the success of this film and they should be thanking Kevin Smith for writing such brilliant comedic dialogue.

One of Smith’s greatest talents is finding humor in everyday situations and making his characters believable in the eyes of the audience. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that he once worked in a convenient store himself and has a very accurate sense of what guys really talk about.

His best move here was the addition of the lovely Rosario Dawson ( “Rent", “Sin City") to the cast, which makes for an interesting subplot involving her romance with Dante. In another great role, Dawson plays Becky, the manager of Mooby’s with such zeal and enthusiasm that she appears to be having a great time on-screen. As the day goes on, Dante spends more time in the office with Becky than actually working and Randal continues to relentlessly harass customers, but somehow food still gets served.

Among the many cameo appearances, Jason Lee manages to provide the most laughs during his time on camera and shows why he is a great comedic talent. His character’s appearance causes such a stir, that Randal has to leave work for an hour so he can ride the go-karts to relax. And where would any Kevin Smith film be without an appearance from the dynamic duo known as Jay and Silent Bob? They’re here as always and are responsible for many of the laughs throughout the film including a hysterical, yet disturbing scene in which Jay pays tribute to “Buffalo Bill" from “The Silence of the Lambs."

As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, a scene in which Randal’s gift to Dante gets out of control will definitely have people fully disgusted. During the last third of the film, Smith gets a little soft in his subject matter and tries to show people that he does have a delicate side to his personality. Each of his characters apparently wants to grow up and start making something of their life, which allows the film to end exactly how it began more than a decade ago.

Overall, “Clerks II" is a very humorous film full of enough racial slurs and scatological references that it is certainly not for those who are easily offended. It works, because its stars aren’t afraid to deal with shocking material in hopes of getting a laugh. Regardless of how boring or monotonous their life may be, for Dante and Randal, it’s just another day on the job.

- *** out of 4

The Da Vinci Code

2008-06-23T11:03:00.001-04:00

“Why is it divine or human? Can't human be divine?" asks Professor Robert Langdon as he passionately explores the true nature of Christ’s life on Earth in Ron Howard’s latest film “The Da Vinci Code."

By now, most people are more than familiar with the issues raised in Dan Brown’s controversial best seller and are quick to dismiss them as nothing but preposterous pieces of fiction. Although they might seem implausible, they are almost impossible to ignore as shown by the enormous number of books being sold throughout the world.

As if the novel wasn’t enough, we now have a feature film to further add to the phenomenon and once again present people with the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were in fact married. Following its premiere at Cannes, it was immediately smashed by critics who said it was long, boring, and anti-climactic.

Despite all of the harsh criticism, I decided to go see it for myself and as an avid fan of the book, I have to say that I was not disappointed.

We begin inside the world famous Louvre Museum in Paris as museum curator Jacques Sauniere is desperately trying to save himself from death while being chased by a crazed albino monk known as Silas, who will stop at nothing to expose the biggest secret in human history.

Knowing he’s minutes from the end, Sauniere makes one last second attempt at keeping the secret alive by positioning his body in such a way that only a select few will be able to decipher the code he has so cleverly arranged. When police arrive, they are baffled by what is in front of them and are left with no choice but to bring in an expert to help them understand what Sauniere was trying to say.

For those of us who have read the novel, we know what happens next as Professor Langdon arrives and is instantly able to provide insight into the situation. At this point, Howard is following the story fairly well, but seems to lose much of the excitement generated by Brown’s novel and makes key elements of the quest seem somewhat ordinary. Despite a few absurd lines of dialogue, Tom Hanks gives an interesting performance as Langdon and seems to have the part of Harvard scholar down to a science.

Although it’s not as captivating as some of his other roles ( “Forrest Gump", “Saving Private Ryan" etc. ), he still creates a very likable and sincere character that audiences can hopefully enjoy. Knowing that Langdon can’t solve it on his own, French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, played by Audrey Tautou, comes to the scene and offers her own take on what has occurred. It is not long before Langdon discovers that he is the prime suspect in the murder of Jacques Sauniere and that French police brought him there in hopes of getting a confession. As the film’s pace quickens, Langdon and Neveu embark on a journey that with any luck will lead them to the final resting place of the Holy Grail.

Even if the chemistry between Hanks and Tautou seems a bit off, they still make a decent on-screen pair during most of their scenes together and can be fairly convincing at times. From this point on, the film evolves into a thrilling adventure tale involving knights, car chases, and even a Fibonacci sequence for good measure. But when all of the excitement is over, the million dollar question still remains. Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married, and, if so, did they have a child?

To go even further and say that the descendants of this royal bloodline are still living today has been regarded as the detail that would cause an unprecedented crisis of faith and forever change the world as we know it. Many accuse this film of being too preachy in its viewpoints, but if its all fiction anyway, then why is everyone getting so worked up over it?

I think people need to stop attacking it and just acknowledge the fact that Dan Brown has created a wildly entertaining story full of twists and intellectual intrigue that has captured people’s attention for the last three years. But like all religious films that make there way onto the silver screen, few are ever free from the immense disapproval that follows and this has proven to be no different.

Overall, “The Da Vinci Code" was an engaging film that bombarded its audience with enough secret codes and religious uncertainty to make serious followers of Christ gasp when presented with such nonsense. With all that aside, I found it to be great entertainment and anyone who likes to have fun at the movies should feel the same way. I think the real winner here is Brown himself, who will be laughing all the way to the bank.

- *** out of 4

The Good Shepherd

2008-06-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

Edward Wilson is the thinking man’s hero. He’s smart, soft-spoken, and will do absolutely anything to protect the country he loves. So when he’s recruited to become a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), he faithfully accepts and soon finds himself caught up in a precarious web of uncertainty and deception. His tumultuous journey from Yale University to becoming the head of counter-intelligence for the CIA is the subject of Robert De Niro’s long, yet fascinatingly mysterious new film “The Good Shepherd", which chronicles the dawn of the Central Intelligence Agency during a very turbulent period in American history.

Since the film covers nearly twenty-five years, we are given an in-depth look at Wilson’s life before he became a government big shot and begin to understand why he acts the way he does in certain situations. While attending Yale, he was part of the secret society known as Skull and Bones and was essentially being groomed for a life of shadows and secrecy. Everything he did carried a label of confidentiality and he ultimately had to leave his emotions at the door if he wanted to succeed.

In what is probably the most underrated performance of 2006, Matt Damon captures the essence of Wilson’s true nature and delivers a brilliantly understated portrayal of a man whose only real friend was the country he sacrificed everything to protect. Although Wilson is almost the complete opposite of the character he played in “The Departed", Damon plays him with passionate sincerity and definitely makes him convincing every step of the way.

When Wilson is contacted by General Bill Sullivan, played by De Niro himself, he agrees to take a integral role in the development of an intelligence agency that would be in charge of monitoring things between the US and Soviet Union. His situation becomes complicated when he has to leave his wife and head to Europe to interview potential German informants, but his dedication to work always comes before anything else.

Upon returning home, he finds that his wife Margaret (Angelina Jolie) has apparently moved on with her life and has no interest in rekindling a relationship that was never really devoted to begin with. Jolie’s presence here is heartfelt, but I still feel that she was greatly underused and her widespread talent never really comes out. One of the only things keeping them connected is their son Edward Jr., who eventually becomes interested in joining the CIA, but his mother fights for him to reconsider.

Since the film constantly jumps between 1939 and 1961, the audience’s attention must be rock solid to avoid missing any significant details. Although some might find this to be a difficult task, I found the film to be very informative even without knowing all of the details about what was going on. Each actor’s performance corresponds directly with the pace of the film and despite some sluggish moments, it’s actually quite profound in its lifelessness. In just his second directorial effort, De Niro has created a film that is sometimes dull, but always sharp and perplexing.

Every character has their own agenda and is consistently hesitant over who to trust when their life is on the line. De Niro’s subtle direction mixed with Eric Roth’s ingeniously written script produces a thought-provoking exercise about family, trust, and how far one is willing to go to protect what they love.

- *** ½ out of 4

Pan's Labyrinth

2008-06-23T11:00:00.003-04:00

Guillermo del Toro’s new film “Pan’s Labyrinth” is a masterpiece, plain and simple. Everything about this frighteningly fantastic adult fairy tale just screams greatness and further solidifies del Toro’s place as a superb cinematic storyteller. Like 2001’s “The Devil’s Backbone”, Labyrinth takes place during a very gloomy time in Spanish history as Francisco Franco has risen to power and the war between the Fascists and Republicans wages on.

Amidst all the chaos and confusion, eleven-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is struggling to cope with the loss of her father as well as her mother’s newfound marriage to a cruel and sadistic military leader. She spends her days consumed by her own wishful fantasies and avidly longs for her life to return to the way it used to be.

What she encounters over the next two hours or so is a terrifyingly larger-than-life journey of profound self-discovery that goes way beyond any of her wildest dreams.

Upon arriving at the compound, she is instantly alienated from the others and discovers that her only real friend is a servant named Mercedes (Maribel Verdú), who shares her palpable dislike for the Fascist environment.

She is a young girl surrounded by soldiers, weapons, and random acts of violence that appear to be taking a harsh toll on her emotional well-being and she quietly longs for an escape from this wretched reality.

With her mother sick in bed, she decides to go explore the labyrinth outside and is greeted by a faun, who informs her that she is a long-lost princess of the underworld and must complete three crucial tasks before she can be granted re-entry. She eagerly accepts and looks forward to embarking on this dark and mysterious adventure. Baquero plays Ofelia with such a tender feeling of childlike innocence that it’s almost as if she’s not acting at all.

Her performance evokes uncontrolled feelings of happiness, sorrow, eeriness, and misery that are seldom surpassed by other actors her age. Everything wholesome that Ofelia represents, Capitán Vidal (Sergi López) can be seen as the complete opposite. He is a cold and calculating individual whose only real concern is having a male heir to carry on his name after he’s gone and Ofelia’s mother is the means of achieving his goal. His wicked personality serves as motivation for Ofelia to finish her mission as quickly as possible and get out while she still can.

Each obstacle involves creatures so macabre and scenery so splendidly surreal that del Toro’s special effects team is really given a chance to strut their stuff. They manage to create such a ghastly portrait of Ofelia’s vivid imagination that it eventually becomes an unspeakable nightmare that she may never wake up from.

Labyrinth works, because we are seeing things through the innocuous eyes of a young girl, who doesn’t really understand the political implications of the world around her. I think everyone can relate to wanting an escape from the inevitable horrors of life and del Toro addresses that idea in a very meaningful and sophisticated manner. We all deal with problems in our own way and for Ofelia, immersing herself in the realm of mythology served as her own personal panacea.

- **** out of 4

Dreamgirls

2008-06-23T11:00:00.001-04:00

“Dreamgirls” is an interesting film. It’s as much a visually stunning spectacle of sight and sound as it is an empty character-driven melodrama absorbed by its own self-image. Loosely (Yeah, Right) based on Diana Ross and the Supremes, it follows the up and down career of an all-girl group called The Dreams, who find success during the 1960’s with their unique combination of dynamite looks and powerhouse vocal range. Don’t get me wrong, I was very entertained, but ultimately found it to be a shoddy story without enough substance to match its own distinctive brand of pizzazz.

During the spectacular first half, we are introduced to a number of major characters that appear to be involved strictly for the money and will do anything they can to achieve financial success. One of those characters is Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx), who sweet talks his way to becoming The Dreams’ manager, but eventually destroys the camaraderie of the group by promoting Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles) to lead singer and encouraging her to move on to bigger and better things.

This move causes quite the stir among the group and leads to one of the most incredibly vivacious scenes in the history of movie musicals. When Jennifer Hudson belts out her show-stopping rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, she instantly commands the screen and makes her early departure from season three of “American Idol” seem like a blessing in disguise.

Her performance as Effie White is truly a revelation and should make her a virtual lock to win Best Supporting Actress. Joining her on Oscar night will be none other than Eddie Murphy, whose electrifying portrayal of James “Thunder” Early ranks among the best of his career and shows that he is still capable of stealing the show at any given moment. He presents Early as a flamboyant yet tragic personality with a drug problem that will sooner or later lead to his downfall.

With all the phenomenal talent this film has to offer, you’d expect it to be a blockbuster from start to finish, but unfortunately that’s expecting too much. Writer/Director Bill Condon seems to focus a little too much on the glam factor and not enough on developing a clear, coherent storyline. With the exception of Hudson and Murphy, every character seems too naïve and archetypical to be taken seriously and the film’s overall effectiveness is clearly hindered because of it.

While it does have its moments, I still felt a little let down by the whole presentation and expected a lot more from a film with such a promising source of material. Luckily, it looks gorgeous and sounds amazing, so everything else is secondary. Is it pure fluff ? Of course, but that’s why we love it.

- *** out of 4

The Number 23

2008-06-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

Wow, “The Number 23” is bad!

At first glance, one would have to think that the pairing of Jim Carrey and Joel Schumacher wouldn’t be capable of such inane rubbish, but clearly they’ve outdone themselves. They’ve managed to take a fairly intriguing concept and reduce it to nothing more than a jumbled mess of a movie, whose bleak and dreary tone prevents the audience from ever really taking it seriously. It is indeed a sorry excuse for a Hollywood thriller.

Had it not been for a sultry performance from Virginia Madsen, I probably would’ve walked out after the first ten minutes.

Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, a dogcatcher who becomes hopelessly obsessed with the number 23, while reading a book his wife gave him for his birthday. Everything he reads seems to parallel his own life and he begins making bizarre connections that somehow relate back to that god-forsaken number. His name, driver’s license, and social security number all add up to 23 and his entire existence appears to revolve around those two digits: “Caesar was stabbed 23 times”, “9+11+2001=23”, and "2/3 =.666" to name just a few.

As the film goes on, it’s clear that writer Fernley Phillips went overboard on the whole theory of the 23 enigma. Each correlation becomes more exaggerated than the last and the film ultimately gets swallowed up by its own harebrained material. When they brought up that Ted Bundy was executed on the 23rd, I was about ready to throw in the towel. As a student of Criminology, I will proudly say that he was actually executed on the 24th, which pretty much throws a wrench in whatever credibility the film may have had.

As for Carrey, he seemed lost in unfamiliar territory and was undoubtedly out of his comfort zone. I understand his need to take on more serious roles, but this is not the way to go about doing that.

His magnificent work in films like “The Truman Show” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” seems like a lifetime ago, which for him, is a clear indication that he needs to return to what made him a star in the first place. He’s a phenomenal comedic talent, but we just need him to show it.

Director Joel Schumacher’s ill-fated attempt at creating an effective occult thriller was doomed from the start and completely ruined by an ending that made everything else seem like a total waste of time. What looked like an engaging thriller is actually a dull and pointless story of a man with too much time on his hands that never really adds up.

- * out of 4

Zodiac

2008-06-23T10:57:00.000-04:00

Fans of brutal cult classics like “Se7en” and “Fight Club” (myself included) may be disappointed to hear that David Fincher’s latest film “Zodiac” is a tad toned-down from what they’re used to. Instead of relying on blood and gore galore, he has created a masterful film in which discomfort and unrelenting psychological terror take center stage. In many ways, this restrained approach seems perfectly executed, because the viewer is immediately enveloped in an unnerving world where not even the children are protected from the madness.

Based on Robert Graysmith’s best-selling novel, “Zodiac” follows the decades-long hunt for the notorious serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay area during the early 1970’s, but was unfortunately never identified. He has been linked to seven murders between December 1968 and October 1969, which is significantly lower than the 37 he has often taken credit for over the years. Every time police thought they were getting close, something new would come along and shake things up for everyone involved. Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) was working as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle when he first heard about the Zodiac Killer and his involvement in the case quickly grew from there.

What started out as a passive curiosity, quickly became a dangerous obsession that would eventually devour every ounce of his energy. He becomes so wrapped up in the investigation that his family is forced to leave him until he gets his life back in order.

Despite his nice-guy persona, Gyllenhaal’s take on Graysmith is actually quite moving as he embodies the fanatical personality of a man who spent his entire career searching for answers, but wasn’t given any. He does his best to capture the compulsive mentality and make the audience feel just as discouraged about the state of affairs as he is. His mania isn’t that different from what Jim Carrey’s character experiences in “The Number 23”, but the similarities between the two films stop right there.

While Carrey’s film used obsession as a contrived plot device, Graysmith manages to harness his enthusiasm and put it toward achieving a greater purpose. In addition to Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. both turn in superb supporting performances and ultimately take the film to another level. Downey, as reporter Paul Avery, is refreshingly terrific in his patented spaced-out drug addict role and continues his string of quirky yet amazing character interpretations. Mark Ruffalo isn’t someone you usually see in this type of picture, but his work as Inspector Dave Toschi surpasses anything he has ever done and allows him to sharpen his intense dramatic chops.

Since Fincher grew up in California, he has a loving passion for the area and a distinctive attention to detail that undeniably makes this film what it is. By producing a spot-on re-creation of 1970’s San Francisco, he makes it so that the audience feels as if they’ve traveled back in time and is witnessing these events first-hand. If you find yourself frustrated with the film’s open-ended conclusion, just imagine how the real-life investigators feel. The fact that the case remains unsolved brings up the frightening possibility that the Zodiac might still be out there, watching, waiting to strike again.

- **** out of 4

Borat

2008-06-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

Lewd, raucous, offensive, and utterly hysterical are just some of the colorful adjectives that can be used to describe Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Every second of this film pulsates with enough uproarious humor and off-the-wall antics that I can definitely see how someone could be turned off by the entire idea of it.

As for me, I liked “Borat” very much and it’s without a doubt one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. People have criticized it for being “dumb” and “childish“, but that’s exactly the point Cohen is trying to make. Borat's ignorance and outright racist attitude are a large part of what makes this type of humor so effective. Whether it’s a group of “rednecks” or “frat boys“, he is able to expose people for the bigots they are, while demonstrating how little Americans really know about other cultures.

During this 82-minute "mockumentary", Cohen explores many different realms of American culture and his final result delivers more laughs than most comedies in recent memory. Borat Sagdiyev is a Kazakh journalist who embarks on a trip across America to get a real taste of what life in the United States is all about. He provides the audience with some intriguing information about his home country such as “This is Orkin. The town rapist! Naughty, Naughty!” and “Although Kazakhstan a glorious country, it have a problem, too: economic, social, and Jew (Cohen is Jewish).”

When he finally arrives in America, he has a hard time adjusting to the overall differences in lifestyle between Kazakhstan and the US. For instance, people don’t take kindly to his awkward greeting and refuse to offer him help in any way. Some of the best scenes involve Borat’s etiquette at a formal dinner party and his encounter with three drunken college students, which is responsible for many of the outrageous moments this film has to offer.

While in his hotel room one night, he discovers Pamela Anderson on the television and immediately falls in love with her. He then persuades his sidekick Azamat to let him travel to California in hopes of marrying Pamela in a traditional Kazakhstan wedding. In what is probably the funniest and-most disgusting scene-in the film, Borat and Azamat (both naked) begin to wrestle around the hotel room and eventually make their way to one of the conference rooms in which a meeting is being held. If you think intentionally offensive comments and sequences of naked wrestling are funny, this is definitely the film for you.

Regardless of whether it was scripted or not, “Borat” is well worth the price of admission and should satisfy anyone who enjoys biting social satire. Cohen is a comedic genius whose dedication to making this film as real as possible should be intensely applauded. For anyone who still doesn’t understand what all the hype is about, you really have to see it to believe it. The true brilliance lies in the fact that people see Borat as a Jew-hating racist and actually believe that Kazakh people are really like that. There is a part during the dinner party in which a woman proceeds to teach Borat how to use the toilet and I felt that incident pretty much summed up everything Cohen is actually trying to expose.

High Five!

- **** out of 4

Casino Royale

2008-06-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

“Casino Royale” is director Martin Campbell’s latest journey into the world of James Bond and he has clearly upped the ante the second time around. Everything from the intense, black-and-white opening to the strong, gritty action scenes give you the indication that this is not your typical razzle-dazzle Bond extravaganza. What we have here is a tightly written story that attempts to bring a more realistic element to the series by completely reinventing the character of James Bond to give him a more down-to-earth personality.

Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Munich) may not have been everyone’s first choice to take over as Bond, but he is definitely the right man for the job. He looks as if he could pass for a villain rather than Bond himself, but his brute-like demeanor has allowed him to bring a renewed sense of rugged masculinity that many critics feel had been lost for quite some time. He’s a guy who doesn’t care whether his martinis are shaken or stirred and has an ego big enough to match his affinity for beautiful women.

Yes, this is a new kind of James Bond. One that displays a certain vulnerability that hadn’t been seen in the other films, but still delivers a wide array of exhilarating moments to satisfy any fan of the series. Since this is essentially a prequel, Bond has just been promoted to 007 and not yet earned the full confidence of his superiors. His methods are seen as unorthodox and he doesn’t really care how much noise he makes as long as the job gets done.

His latest mission revolves around Montenegro’s Le Casino Royale, where he must prevent an investment banker from winning a high-stakes poker game and using the prize money to fund international terrorism.

With the help of treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), he is able to get a spot at the table and engage in a thrilling showdown with Le Chiffre, the paymaster of a Soviet controlled trade union, to determine who walks away with the $150 million pot. Desperate to win, Le Chiffre arranges for his girlfriend to poison Bond’s drink and nearly kills him in the process. Although the movie is almost entirely gadget-free, his Aston Martin DBS has a built-in defibrillator, which proves to be a life saver in situations like these. When he’s finally revived, he goes back to the table determined to win and is not going to let anyone get in his way.

Eva Green plays a stunningly beautiful Bond girl and her character depth is significantly greater than those in past years. Judi Dench also gives a great, sarcastic performance as M and her scenes with Craig are nothing short of splendid. Seeing her in a small role like this, reminds me of how great an actress she really is. Following the game, the storyline develops even further into an entertaining suspense tale full of explosions and over-the-top action sequences, which are a trademark of the Bond franchise.

“Casino Royale” is the Bond film I’ve been waiting for and probably the best since the days of Sean Connery. Craig’s portrayal of Bond is everything Ian Fleming intended for him to be and he does his best to make the character his own. By avoiding all of the fluff from previous Bond films, Campbell is able to create a revamped version of the beloved character, while totally redefining the franchise in the process.

- *** ½ out of 4