Closer

So, I waited until this came out on DVD. Yeah, it was the right move to make. Why were all the critics so in love with this flick? is it because we got hear Julia Roberts talk about orgasms and sexual positions? Or that we got to see Natalie Portman as a stripper? Granted, both were fun, but this movie was tough.
Now, I know it was adapted from a play, but it was too choppy for the screen. And Portman was...well she was just a slutty version of her character from Garden State. Not Oscar worthy.
But seriously, what is Oscar worthy? What does that even mean? A bunch of Hollywood people get together to decide what is the best in Hollywood? I thnk it's time for some new, outside blood.
But I digress. Back to Closer. Clive Owen was by far the brightest spot of this flick. He stole every scene he was in, and was powerful in his vulnerability. But the characters were just too precipitous in their actions which pulled me out of the story. I didn't care about the characters, what they were feeling, who they were sleeping with, not even their names. So at the end when we find out that Jane is really Portman's character's name, who cares? Is has nothing to do with the plot, we know nothing about her situation. Poor character development, and the dialogue was full of sex, which in and of itself isn't bad, but it just became laborious after a while.

Oh well, it was only four bucks.

Glenn Close

I know, I already wrote about The Shield. But I'm sorry, one 'cause it doesn't really matter because no one is reading this. And two, this show is just so good. It is the highlight of my week.
And for any of those doubters out there that were upset with Glenn Close coming in, what the hell were you thinking? She is incredible. I don't think I could have imagined her playing this part with more precision. She is agressive, yet likable, not a bitch. She's not too witty, but gets a few one-liners in there. She is 24/7 intense. She does not overact. Which, given the show and the co-stars, would be very easy to do. She has added a great energy to the storyline. I applaud the writers for this season, so far. They have done a great job of leading us to this point where we know "it" is going to hit the fan. We just don't know how or when.
Seriously, anyone who happens to read this and isn't watching this show, tune in on Tuesday nights at either 10:00 or 11:00 on F/X. You'll be happy you did.

Millions

Now this was a great movie. You know when you go into a movie and you think to yourself, I better not be disappointed, 'cause you hear all sorts of good things from those critics, whom you swear sleep through half the films they rate, so you just sort of set yourself up for disappointment. Well, I was pleasantly not disappointed.
This film is told to us through the eyes of little Damian. He's a good kid, with a good heart, and a great accent. I can't believe the little kid who played him has never acted before. Here's the thing with this kid - he's the one that has to carry the film. So, for Haley Joel Osment, and that kid that played in Finding Neverland (An unreal performance in another crisp and subtly brilliant film) you were both insane, but this kid...was just something else. Anyway, Damian sees saints, and he knows all about them. And he wants to do what's right. Well, after his mom passes away, his dad moves him and his brother to a new home to get away.
Damian does what any kid would do with a bunch of empy moving boxes...be builds a hermitage (ok a fort, but for Damian it's a hermitage). While out chilling in his hermitage, a bag of money lands on him. His older brother finds Damian and the cash and thus ensues the adventure of Millions.
Damian believes the money is from God and that he's supposed to help the poor. His brother, on the other hand, is all too human, buying friends gifts and even establishing his own little motorcade. But the real problem is, the money was stolen, and the criminal wants it back.
The really is a good flick. I can't give it a 'Rocks My Grandma' for the only reason that the dad is not developed enough, and then sort of comes in at the end to add some contrived conflict. But overall, a very Tasty Treat.

The Shield

Finally, The Shield is back. It gives new meaning to my Tuesday nights. If you haven't been watching this show, then you're missing out on quite possibly the best drama on TV. The writing is fantastic, and the acting is precise.
With this new season, Glenn Close joins the cast as the new captain. And I gotta say, I think that they are using her carefully, and perfectly...for now. The talent of the writers and Shawn Ryan, the show's creator, is evidenced in how this season has reinvented the show without having to rely upon gimmicks or outlandish storylines (a la The OC and the lesbian affair, which was fun to watch, but ridiculous nonetheless).
So, this season, the Strike Team is no more, and Vic and Ronnie are the only two left at The Barn. David is on his way to City Council, and Dutch and Claudette have been black-listed by the DA's office because of Claudette's self-righteous campaign that has led to an overturn of dozens of cases by the DA's office. This season also brings Anthony Andersen as a philathropic drug dealer who is going head to head with Vic. Shane is now working vice, and is getting dirtier and dirtier as he gets deeper in bed with Anthony Andersen's character. What's great is to watch Vic deal with this, as Shane is much like a son to him. And Shane learned a lot of his tricks from Vic.
I really feel that they have gone to new level with this season, and I hope they continue with it. The best re-inventions are subtle yet powerful: and this has the potential to be great. Let's hope they don't screw it up.

Dummy

Ok, so I went to go see Hostage last weekend, and although it was entertaining, it just furthered my distaste for the cookie-cutter blockbuster that Hollywood feeds us.
However, I did happen to catch a very good flick on Showtime called Dummy, starring Adrien Brody as a socially awkward 30-year-old wannabe ventriloquist, who still lives at home with his looney parents and antagonistic sister. Brody shows here the precision in his acting, as his subtle humor permeates his scenes, not to mention the fact that he does all of his own ventriloquist stunts.
At the start of the movie, writer/director Greg Pritikin delves us into Steven's ambitionless life, with a great and idiosyncratic cast of supporting characters. Milla Jovovich ('Fifth Element', and all around beautiful woman) does an outstanding job of playing, Fangora, the tough-on-the-surface chick friend of Steven's. Jovovich is excellent in being just annoying enough but also endearing in her stubbornness to give us a reason to understand why the introvert Steven is friends with such a different person.
Steven's parents, played by Jessica Walter (the mom on 'Arrested Development') and Ron Liebman (Rachel's dad from 'Friends') are superb. They are cliched characters as parents, but they aren't overacted, which is consistent with the rest of the movie. Rounding out Steven's family is his sister, Heidi (played by Ileana Douglas, a wonderful character actress, but I best remember her as Wendy Ward in the Jay Mohr series 'Action'). She is a wannabe singer, with some talent, that never got the support from her mother that she deserved. Heidi has just broken off her engagement and is now planning a Jewish wedding. What a great world Pritikin throws us into!
The catalyst for Steven's change in this movie comes when he gets fired from his office job, where he is an obvious derelict. Steven goes to see an employment specialist, single mom Lorena (played by Vera Forminga, '15 Minutes'). Steven actually confides in her that he really wants to be a ventriloquist, and after swallowing some laughter, she says that she will try to help him find an agent.
Steven begins to come out of his shell, and he buys a dummy to start practicing. The shy introverts now has a voice for the thoughts that never left his head. The dummy serves as Steven's expressive side, and his character begins to really flourish. The best part about Brody's performance here is that again, he doesn't overdo it. A great credit to the direction of Pritikin. Meanwhile, Fangora and her band struggle to morph into a Yiddish band to play at the wedding that Heidi is planning. Steven's father continues to build model ships in his retirement, his mother continues to try and feed everyone, and Steven struggles with love, life and his crazy friend.
So, instead of stars, thumbs up and all that other crap that others use to recommend movies, here's my own system:

• Sucks a doochie: Means that there is at least 90 minutes of my life that I'll never get back and that I am probably dumber for having seen this movie.
• Great Escape: Well, I'm not getting my money back, but at least there were lots of explosions, hot chicks some funny lines/scenes.
• Potential: Now, this has the potential to be great, but is not, so wait for video. Of course, this could also mean, this could potential cause seizures and severe cramping so watch at your own risk.
• Tasty Treat: Good movie, worth the money and time, giving you the viewer something to think about, feel, excite or just numb the mind in a good way. Still, not quite climactic.
• Rocks My Grandma: 'Nuff said.

Now, for Dummy I gotta go with Tasty Treat on this one. There were a couple of scenes that could have been used to really dial up the tension more, especially between Lorena and Steven. But overall, a great flick.

Greatest Show in the History of Television???

Now, I am still not sure if it was a joke or not, but the ad claiming that since last week's OC was so amazing they just had to show it again, was a bit much. Now, I have been watching this show from the very beginning. I was a huge fan. But lately, Mr. Schwartz, the show's creator, and his team of writers, have gotten lazy, stupid, and cliched.
Last week's episode was one of the worst I have ever seen. The Marissa/Alex relationship, although it sparks steamy mental images, is forced. One day Marissa decides that she digs Alex so she decides to see what playing for the other team is like. But, the sudden decision to move in with her was brash, precipitous and drew the viewer out of the story even more.
Now, onto Ryan and Lindsay. First, it's great to see Ryan come out of his shell, and Benjamin Mackenzie is doing a great job of still playing the character close to form. But this whole thing with Lindsay being Caleb's daughter and the whole go between from Ryan to Caleb is the cream filling of daytime TV. I realize of course that The OC wasn't reaching for any sort of benchmark, but there's a reason why the majority of The OC's audience is male. It started with great characterization and dialogue. Of course the indulgence of gorgeous women helps tremendously. But it seems that Mr. Schwartz does not have the creative staying power to keep The OC up to the standard that he set with the first few episodes.
The worst of all of this goulash of characters is Seth. How many hours of incessant whining, pining, whimpering, pansy-ass fluff can we take from this kid? Seth was hilarious when the show first started. Now, I want to beat him like a red-headed step child. Is he supposed to be the Ross to Summer's Rachel? How much more cookie cutter can they get? When Summer first moved on with Zach, I was optimistic that they were going to move on. And they destroyed my hopes. The mere notion that Summer would go back to that whining, pathetic excuse for a man is seriously ridiculous! And I know that it was supposed to be some sort of joke, tongue in cheek, type of thing when Summer shows up at the end to kiss Seth a la Spiderman, but COME ON!!! That scene sucked ass in Spiderman. You are the lowest form of creative hack when you rip off someone's story or scene idea. But you have the creative power of rat feces when you steal a horrible idea.
There is sun coming through the clouds, however. Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan continue to give great performances, but the scenes given them and the dialogue between their characters is growing weak, stale and monotonous.
There are some great, memorable characters here. But TV characters are like plants, you need to give them the proper dosage of sunlight (story lines), water (good, solid writing) and that special plant food mixture (sound direction) in order for them to really bring forth good fruits.
And right now, the once promising characters of The OC are unfortunately fast shrivelling into brown weeds.

My New Favorite TV Show

Ok, so I've been away in South America for a while, and now I'm back and readjusted after my business trip. And yes, it was a blast.
But, on to the real reason for this post: TV. HBO has given us such great series as The Sopranos, Carnivale, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and now they have given us Unscripted. This semi-reality based series follows the lives of struggling actors. The interesting thing is, some pretty big names are involved. First off, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are the producers, Krista Allen and Frank Langella star, with dozens of cameos by Meryll Streep, Brad Pitt, Uma Thurman and many others. While it's fascinating to see this side of Hollywood, the character development of the struggling actors is outstanding. You go through the cliched rollercoaster ride with them on auditions, in acting class, through the maelstrom of relationships, and you really get connected.
If you haven't watched this show, then you should start. It airs every Sunday night at 10:00. If you are lucky and have 'On-Demand' you can watch the entire season so far.

Review of Hotel Rwanda

On Monday night I went to see Hotel Rwanda starring Don Cheadle, who has been one of my favorite actors for quite some time now. I first remember him as DC John Littleton on Picket Fences that quirky TV show with Tom Skerrit as the sheriff.
See this movie. It is incredible in every aspect. Cheadle's performance as hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina is brilliant, as are the performances of the supporting cast. The movie follows Rusesabagina as a suave hotel manager who meets with high-ranking military and government officials at his resort, as well as rich Europeans who come to vacation. However, the country is in turmoil as the Hutu tribe, now in power, is beginning to rev up their goal of genocide against the Tutsi tribe. Rusesabagina is Hutu, and his wife, Tatiana (played by Sophie Okonedo) is Tutsi. As the movie progresses, we see Rusesabagina's evolution from a simple man who just wants to keep his family together and alive, forced into housing more than a thousand Tutsi and Hutu refugees at his five-star resort. He struggles to maintain the integrity of the hotel out of loyalty to his employers, at the same time he fights, the best way he knows how, to keep the refugees alive.
So what makes Cheadle's performance so good? It's subtle, yet powerful. Simple, yet complex. When playing a part based on a real person, there is not a whole lot of room for artistic improvisation. Cheadle plays his part so well, he carries the audience with him on the rising flow of emotion, frustration, fear and anger that Rusesabagina was feeling. Yet, Cheadle never over-acts. His slight facial features, and his presentation of restrain are bold and striking.
In one particular scene, when all the foreign nationals who are visiting are escorted out by foreign military, Rusesabagina finds out that no one will be staying behind to protect them. As the rain pounds Rusesabagina, drenching his impecable suit, Cheadle's expression is priceless, and communicates more than any shouting, crying or cussing could ever do. And it is one of the most memorable scenes from a movie that I have seen in a very long time.
On a scale of one to five stars, I give it five. Director Terry George does a fantastic job of telling the story, not focusing on the blood and guts of the violence. George lets the audience connect with the characters and feel their horror. There are a few scenes where we see hundreds of bodies strewn across dirt roads. And one scene where we see machetes hacking down on innocent women and children, but no blood or cutting is scene, it is implied, which makes the disgust in our stomachs that much more profound.
Go see it, and tell a friend. This movie deserves a lot more attention than it is getting.

Donovan, the Scaredy Cat

First, let me say that I did enjoy this year's Super Bowl. It was wrought with tough competition, impecable game plans, superb athletes and of course, no wardrobe malfunctions.
I was unfortunately a little wiped out after my weekend trip up to Atlantic City, where Texas Hold 'Em, booze, dueling pianos, and Rachel, our bartender, kept us up all night. I got back just in time to make my famous chili for our little party, and then our festivities began.
The first quarter was very much a battle of defense as the score at the end of the quarter showed - 0 to 0. However, as the game wore on, what was most noticeable was the lack of confidence displayed in Donovan McNabb's play. It wasn't just a lack of confidence, it looked like Donovan was about to wet the bed. His feet never got settled the entire game. His hips were never underneath him when he threw the ball, thus his wounded ducks turned pickles that were very costly.
Donovan is a great playmaker, but will never be a great quarterback until he isn't THE playmaker. Tom Brady knows how to rally his playmakers and lead them. That is why he now has three rings. Well, having a sick defense and Bill Belichick can't hurt either. But, the kid is good. Now, I would say he is great. Donovan, well, he's a helluva athlete, but is still lacking in the QB department.
Better luck next year, Eagles.