Move Along

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Puppet On a String

Today is the release of Forgetting Sarah Marshall on DVD. I highly encourage anyone to go and check it out. But besides that, I always want to encourage people to check out other singing puppets. Things like the play Avenue Q, the original Muppet Show and of course, Sesame Street. So go on out there and find some singing puppets. They're just awesome.

Lucky Ball & Chain

A horrible romantic comedy:

What Happens in Vegas:

This film is bad on every level. The plot is completely ridiculous (worse than the whole "the judge sentenced him to be my butler plot" from Seinfeld, and that was supposed to be a joke). The cast is just bad. Everything about it is horribly cliched. And yet it was still a moderately successful film financially. I just don't get it. If someone could explain to me why that happens again and again I'd greatly appreciate it.

The scoring:

Writing:
Cliched. Ridiculous. The characters are flimsy. The dialogue is worse. There were a few moments that made me slightly chuckle, but that was all. 0.4/1

Directing:
The film is on 99 minutes long, but it felt much longer. The pace could have picked up considerably. Some interesting visuals would be a plus too. 0.45/1

Acting:
I'm not a fan of Cameron Diaz or Ashton Kutcher. Which means that I just thought their work in this film was wonderful, not (that right there is a joke that's about on the level of this film, just terrible. I'm ashamed to have even written it). The supporting cast shouldn't have to be associated with this review so they'll remain unmentioned. 0.4/1

Technical:
It looks all bright and flashy in the romantic comedy sort of way. Shooting in New York and Las Vegas never hurts in that department. But there isn't anything too exciting. 0.5/1

History:
Nope. 0.1/1

Entertainment:
It's light and stupid enough that it isn't too painful to watch. And thankfully, you'll pretty much forget it once it's over. But not exactly diverting either. 0.4/1

Misc.:
0.1 for "you know why."

Overall: 2.35/6.8

It's terrible. Avoid it please.

The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth

The new season of the Simpsons starts up tonight. No matter how long the show goes on, or the inevitable decline in quality that happens, I always enjoy it. Not every episode is a classic, but it's still a consistently good show. So I'll be there watching tonight, just like I have been for years. I recommend it.

Get Back

I'm back from New Mexico, and should have a post about the trip up within the next little while. But today I'm just too exhausted from the trip. So yeah, back tomorrow.

Love Stinks

A horrifically unfunny comedy:

The Love Guru:

Wow. This is just a horrible movie. I didn't expect to be very good, but not nearly as bad as it is. Pretty much it's unwatchable. Everything about it is just dumb. I don't know how they thought it was funny when they were making it.

The scoring:

Writing:
It's a whole series of jokes aiming for the lowest common denominator. There isn't any real character stuff, and the jokes aren't really funny at all. The plot is completely ridiculous, even for silly comedy standards. 0.2/1

Directing:
The pacing is decent, if a little inconsistent. The visuals are pretty boring. It's just all over the place. 0.35/1

Acting:
It's one not performances all around. Nothing special to talk about. Jessica Alba does her usual (look hot, but don't act much). Mike Myers is trying to carry the comedy load and failing. No one else is even worth mentioning. 0.35/1

Technical:
There are a couple design moments that are kind of cool, but mostly it isn't great. The effects aren't especially good either. 0.45/1

History:
Other than as a colossol failure, there isn't a bit of value. 0.2/1

Entertainment:
It isn't even in "so bad it's funny territory." I couldn't wait for it to end. And I was at work, so it's not like I had a lot of better options. 0.4/1

Misc.:
0.1 for the voiceover machine. Got a slight chuckle. 0.05 for attempting the Bollywood parody, even if it wasn't good.

Overall: 2.1/6.8

Horrible stuff. Avoid it like the plague. Or like two plagues.

Santa Fe

I'm going away to New Mexico with Mica for just a short bit. So nothing new today, movie review tomorrow.

Star Wars Songs

Last night was the season premiere (watch the whole thing online here) of How I Met Your Mother. The Ted/Marshall storyline ended up having a strange intersection with my own life. On the show Ted (Josh Radnor) had recently become engaged to his girlfriend Stella (Sarah Chalke), but had come to realize that he didn't actually know that much about her. Most importantly, he found out that she'd never seen his favorite film of all time, Star Wars. He loves the movie so much that her liking it, or not, takes on a major importance. He doesn't know if he can be with someone that doesn't love Star Wars.

Just yesterday at work I was having a conversation about much this same topic. About whether it's possible to tell what someone is like just from the things they like. If you had a questionairre that talked all about movies, tv, music and books would you be able to tell if someone was compatible with you? Initially, much like Marshall (Jason Segel) and Ted, I was of the opinion that it's hugely important what someone likes. If you can't share the things you love with a person then how much else could you have in common? But over the course of the conversation, I came to realize that it isn't exactly true. How much can you really base on a shared admiration of Star Wars, or anything else? You can't build something lasting on that flimsy of a base. So ulitmately it's really what the person is like, and not what they like that matters. I'm glad that at least Marshall came to agree with me.

Let It Burn

The latest from the Coen brothers:

Burn After Reading:

I love the Coen brothers' films. Even some of their lesser works (The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty) are still highly enjoyable. Their best stuff (No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski) is just plain fantastic. So I was very excited to see this film, and have to say that I enjoyed it. It's certainly not at the same level as their best work, but is solidly in the middle of the pack. It has some of the same sort of feel as Fargo, but without being quite as good. Burn After Reading is the Coen's version of the espionage thriller, which is just highly amusing.

The scoring:

Writing:
The characters are all fools, but they're interesting fools. The Coens have a knack for creating unique characters that are extremely flawed. The plot is at times confusingly complex. The dialogue is quite good. 0.8/1

Directing:
It's well paced, if a little jarringly structured. The visuals are very interesting. It shows their distinctive style (even though they had a new DP for this film). Solid work. 0.8/1

Acting:
It's an all star cast, that's for sure. George Clooney plays a complete buffoon. Which he's pretty good at. Frances McDormand is in her element. Great. Brad Pitt is a fool. Pure and simple. Which is a nice change of pace from what he's been doing lately. John Malkovich is crazy and intense. As per usual. Tilda Swinton is the ice queen. Which oddly enough she's played before. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but everyone does solidly professional work. 0.8/1

Technical:
It's a fairly low budget comedy that gets the most for it's money. The design is good, but there isn't anything super exciting about it. 0.7/1

History:
Made by one of the most well known writer/director teams, who are coming off a Best Picture win. 0.5/1

Entertainment:
There are laugh out loud moments. But the entire thing is more amusing than hilarious. It'll hold your attention though. 0.75/1

Misc.:
0.1 for Malkovich's, "You're Mormon! Everyone has a drinking problem compared to you!" 0.1 for all of J.K. Simmons' scenes. They were the funniest parts of the film for me. 0.1 for riding your bike to the blackmailing. 0.1 for the axe.

Overall: 4.75/6.8

Another solid effort from the Coens.

Love Invincible

I just finished reading Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. It's a novel that tells the story of a super villain (Dr. Impossible) who's languishing in jail after being foiled in his twelfth attempt at world domination, and the story of a young up and coming cyborg super hero (Fatale) who may just be in over her heard.

It's a fantastically written book. It lets you in on a completely different side of the super powered life. Instead of just seeing the big moments, or the fights the book shows the quieter moments and inner thoughts of the characters. It's like being dropped right down in the middle of a world where super powers actually exist. For a comic book fan like myself, it's completely amazing, but I think that anyone could appreciate the book on a character/story level.

The only problem is that I think it's increasing my identification with the super villains even more. I couldn't really see myself in any of the heroes in the book, but shared a ton with Dr. Impossible. Which probably isn't a good thing, seeing how much frustration he has. Oh well, guess I'm just one step closer to villainy. Better work on my evil laugh.