Yes is the New No

In his latest film, Yes Man, Jim Carrey returns to the screen in his crazy antic self, although this time he is a little older, a little more subdued, but just as funny. Carrey plays the role of Carl Allen, a bank loan officer who finds his constant declines at work have filtered into his personal life since his wife of six months left him over two years ago. Still bitter, Carl is forever ignoring friends requests to go out or do anything more than checking out videos at the local Blockbuster.

That all changes when he is coerced into attending a "Say Yes!" seminar by his friend Nick (the hilarious John Michael Higgins). Inspired by the guru Terrence (Terence Stamp), Carl now decides that he will say yes to every opportunity that comes his way. Of course, informing others of his new philosophy leads him into situations that at first seem inopportune, but in movie magic fashion, end up being the best thing for him.

Digging his free spirit ways is Allison (Zooey Deschanel), Carl's love interest that he meets the first night of his new found ways. Deschanel plays the adorable quirky girl role that is familiar to her, and she does so brilliantly, though the age difference between the two actors (they are exactly 18 years apart) might be a bit too much for some moviegoers to make a convincing love story.

There are also some elements that will undoubtedly remind the audience of Jim Carrey's 1997 hit Liar, Liar. The comparisons are not helped by the screenwriters' decision to make Carl afraid of what will happen if he changes his response to a negative one; it's a little too close to Liar Liar's magically induced truth telling. However, this film is a fun escape from a world that makes it all too easy to be isolated and negative.

While it may not make you compelled to say yes to everything that comes your way, it may make you think before giving an automatic no at your next opportunity. Check it out at the matinee show or wait for a rainy day rental.

Golden Globe Nominations

Here are the list of nominations for the Golden Globes, airing on January 11th. Last years awards were announced by press conference, due to the Writer's Strike. Let's hope the current negotiations with actors runs smoothly so the show does go on this year.

Drama: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

Comedy or musical: "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "In Bruges," "Mamma Mia!" and "Vicky Christina Barcelona."

Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road").

Actor in a drama: Leonardo DiCaprio ("Revolutionary Road"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").

Actress in a drama: Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Meryl Streep ("Doubt"), Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You Too Long") and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road").

Actor in a comedy or musical: Javier Bardem ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Colin Farrell ("In Bruges"), James Franco ("Pineapple Express"), Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges") and Dustin Hoffman ("Last Chance Harvey").

Actress in a comedy or musical: Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky"), Frances McDormand ("Burn After Reading"), Meryl Streep ("Mamma Mia!") and Emma Thompson ("Last Chance Harvey").

Supporting actor: Tom Cruise ("Tropic Thunder"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder"), Ralph Fiennes ("The Duchess"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight").

Supporting actress: Amy Adams ("Doubt"), Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler") and Kate Winslet ("The Reader").

Animated film: "Bolt," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Wall-E."

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire"), David Hare ("The Reader"), Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon"), Eric Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and John Patrick Shanley ("Doubt").

Foreign-language film: "Gomorrah," "I've Loved You So Long," "Waltz with Bashir," "The Baader Meinhof Complex,: and "Everlasting Moments."

Original score: James Newton Howard ("Defiance"), Alexandre Desplat ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), A. R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Hans Zimmer ("Frost/Nixon") and Clint Eastwood ("Changeling").

Original song: "Down to Earth" from "Wall-E," "Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino," "I Thought I'd Lost You" from "Bolt," "Once in a Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records" and "The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler."

Television

Best TV comedy series: "30 Rock," "Californication," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Weeds."

Best TV drama series: "Dexter," "House," "In Treatment," "Mad Men" and "True Blood."

Longing for the Dark

While being one of the few females I know who was not completely enthralled with Stephenie Meyer's human/vampire love story, Twilight, I had high hopes that the movie based on the international best seller would fare better. Instead, it was on level with the book; a good premise lost in teen angst and unsophisticated production.

Those few souls that have not been swept up in the hype, here is the story in a nutshell: lonely, clumsy, new girl in town falls for lonely brooding boy of the undead variety.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves from Phoenix to Forks, Washington towards the end of her Junior year. Completely awkward and shy, she makes quick friends in high school, invariably due to nothing new and exciting happening in town for ages. The one group that doesn't race to secure her friendship is the Cullen clan, a group of "teenagers" that were adopted by the local doctor and his wife and who keep to their brooding selves.

Being rejected obviously makes Bella want to befriend the Cullens even more, especially the hottie of the group, Edward (Robert Pattinson). Edward's desire to have nothing to do with Bella both infuriates and intoxicates her, and it isn't long before they are thrown into life and death situations that leave Edward forced to befriend his prey.

That's right, Edward and the rest of the Cullen gang are vampires. Although they are vampire lite, or as they like to call themselves, "vegetarian vampires" because they only try to survive on the blood of animals and not humans. This helps them stay in one place for a while, long enough for the younger looking to graduate from high school again, and again, and again. And you thought your high school classes were boring!

While it is dangerous for Edward and Bella to fall in love, they can't help it and give in to their mutual obsession. Unfortunately for Bella, not every vampire is of the "Save a human, eat a deer" mentality and it isn't long before a group of more traditional vampires (if you can call any of Meyer's creations traditional) comes along seeking Bella for more than chaste companionship.

This movie was obviously made for fans of the novels, as those that have not read the novels will find themselves sometimes confused by what seems like the unnecessary introduction to a bevy of new characters that go nowhere and strange plot points, like the need for the Cullen family to wait until a thunderstorm to play baseball. While I can put up with Meyer's changing the more popular theories regarding vampires for the most part, don't even get me started on the idea of vampires avoiding the sun because they sparkle.

I don't envy director Catherine Hardwicke and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg's roles of adapting the story to film. Twilighters (crazy obsessed fans of the book) are meticulous when it comes to the characters being just as they imagined. Whether or not they are the most talented of actors, Stewart and Pattinson do their best to make the sometimes downright awful dialogue work and always place themselves fully and confidently into their roles. The unintentional giggles that broke out during my screening at some of the attempted serious scenes was more the fault of the material (and the horrible make-up job on the vampires) than the performance.

Despite all the film's flaws, the massive mob of fans that flooded the movie theaters opening weekend has guaranteed that Meyer's second novel in the series, New Moon, will be coming to the multiplex near you sometime this winter. Hardwicke's unexpected replacement at the director's chair, Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) will hopefully either have a higher budget for special effects or nix them altogether. Afterall, if the film is really made for the true Twilight fan, the violence could be left out completely. As long as Edward still struggles to resist holding Bella's hand in Science lab, the fans will be more than satisfied.

Latest Harry Potter trailer

Instead of the anticipation of seeing the latest Harry Potter next week when it was to be in theaters, a new trailer has been released to try to tide you over until July.

Much Ado About Nothing...

If you go along for the ride this movie is hilarious. If you want to try to figure out story plots and find a deeper meaning of life from a film, try something else. The Coen brothers have once again taken the ordinary and given it a quirky twist in their latest film, Burn After Reading.

The premise: Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) are two fitness trainers who find what they believe to be top secret CIA files in the gym and try to use the information as blackmail to get money for Linda's plastic surgery. Once they have set plans in motion with the rightful owner of the disk, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), several others find themselves being pulled in, including Cox's wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) and her lover Harry (George Clooney). Trying to keep things from escalating are the gym manager (Richard Jenkins) and CIA Superior (J.K. Simmons).

This could have been played out as a simple act of mistaken identity and fraud. However, the plot forms circles upon circles to show that nothing is as it first appears and while things are discovered, nothing is understood. There might not be a lot of sense to what you see, but it is enjoyable to just sit back and watch.

Forecast: Occasional Bursts of Laughter

Ben Stiller is not afraid to take on Hollyweird in his latest pic, Tropic Thunder. Co-written with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, Stiller also produced, directed, and stars in this comedy about the making of a Vietnam film that goes awry. The movie brilliantly introduces the main characters through mock trailers of the stars previous films.

Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, an action star in serious need of a box office success after his last couple of films were flops. Jack Black plays comedic actor Jeff Portnoy, whose portrayal of every character in films about an overweight family with serious flatulence problems is an obvious take on Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor films. Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up) plays newbie Kevin Sandusky and Brandon T. Jackson plays rapper turned actor Alpha Chino, whose audacious ad for the energy drink "Booty Sweat" begins the film. While each of these characters have their moments, the real star of the film is Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus, an 5-time Academy Award winning Australian actor who undergoes a controversial procedure to darken his skin to play the African-American Sergeant.


Over-his-head director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) takes the advice of the writer of the book the film is based on (played with perfect gruffness by Nick Nolte) to drop his group of spoiled actors into the middle of the jungle and film them through hidden cameras in order to get a more realistic portrayal of soldiers. Through a serious of missteps, the actors soon find themselves lost in a jungle surrounded by Viet Cong heroin dealers with no way to get back to their cushy lives on set.

Of course with so many self-absorbed actors together friction ensues and with it some hilarious scenes between the characters. The most controversial scene involves an extended use of the word "retard" during a conversation between Stiller and Downey's characters about the Academy's lack of giving Oscars to actors that go "full retard." While many disability advocate groups protested the use of the word, the writers are satirizing Hollywood more than making fun of mentally-challenged people. There is plenty of the usual Stiller shtick throughout, but there is also a higher level of satire hidden below the surface.

The film is able to make fun of big Hollywood productions while being one; the cinematography is top notch, and the high production costs don't go unnoticed. There are several funny cameos throughout the film, the biggest being Tom Cruise as the foul-mouthed, gangsta dancing (it alone is worth the price of the movie), malicious studio exec. While the action sometimes overtakes the comedy, and the film is a tad too long, it is an enjoyable way to bid farewell to the summer blockbuster season and get ready for the heavyweights of fall.

Rise of the Great Pumpkin

Here is last year's entry into the Boulder Shoot Out 24 Hour Filmmaking Festival. I edited a few things and added extra sound than what my entry had, but for the most part this is what was submitted.

A Couch Vacation That Will Have You Tripping

This weeks featured rental, Wes Anderson's meandering road trip through India, The Darjeeling Limited, might not make a lot of sense, but it is interesting. Combined with some take-out Indian food, this will make for a relaxing beginning to another stressful week. Owen Wilson plays Francis Whitman, the oldest of the 3 Whitman brothers, who decides after a near fatal motorcycle accident to take a religious journey through India and asks his estranged siblings, Peter (Adrian Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) to come along. The brothers have not spoken since their father's funeral, a year ago, and Francis has a goal to have them become brothers again, like they used to be. In order to do this he brings along an assistant with a computer, printer, and laminate machine.

Each morning the brothers are to find a laminated itinerary in their train compartment that they are to follow in order to successfully complete their enlightened spiritual journey. Soon enough they discover that these kind of journeys cannot be planned and the real enlightenment begins once they encounter unforeseen obstacles on their path.

There is a lot of symbolism throughout the film, as well as an in-depth look at the nature of sibling rivalries and human behavior. If you are looking for a film with a lot of structure, this is not it. If you have not been a fan of Anderson's previous films (Rushmore, The Royal Tenebaums) you will probably find this to be more of the same. However, if you are looking for something a little different, pop this movie into your DVD player and enjoy a trip to India sans Bollywood hype. Oh, and be sure to watch the short film Hotel Chevalier before the main film, it will give you a good preview of what to prepare for and is the most (quite literally) that you will see of Natalie Portman.

Traveling Pants Work Their Magic Again

This summer The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is back with a sequel that will satisfy those that loved the original and most readers of the novels the movies are based upon. The movie opens with a montage of what has happened since we first met the girls three years ago and catches us up to date with what is going on as they embark on the summer after their first year of college.

Carmen (America Ferrera) can not wait to catch up with her friends and spend the entire summer together, only to find out everyone else has other plans. Lena (Alexis Bledel) will be taking a figure drawing class at her Rhode Island art school, Bridget (Blake Lively) was accepted to take part in an archaeological dig in Turkey, and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) will be repeating her screenwriting class at NYU due to her romantic comedy couple breaking up. With everyone heading their separate ways, Carmen follows new college friend Julia (Rachel Nichols) to Vermont for a theatre festival.

Of course all sorts of romantic and life entanglements pursue and director Sanaa Hamri and screenwriter Elizabeth Chandler do a superb job weaving in and out of the girls' separate storylines with relative ease. This movie is a combination of the last three books in the series and so book followers will have a little more insight into each character, but may be slightly distracted by the rearranging of the time events take place when comparing it to the novels. While this shift helps the film flow more naturally, it may be frustrating to readers who know the lives of each girl as much as their own.

This film is rated PG-13 and deservedly so. As the girls are about to leave their teenage years behind, they are approaching adulthood and the maturity that goes along with that. However, the mature themes throughout the film are tasteful, never gratuitous, and are issues that most teenage girls and young adults can relate to and empathize with. Each actress proves that they are the next big talents to come out of Hollywood with the in-depth portrayal of their characters. Amber Tamblyn does a particularly good job portraying Tibby's fear of letting people in that lies beneath her sarcastic attitude and quick wit.

Friendships are not always as comfortable as a worn pair of jeans and this friendship is no exception. However, the love each girl has for each other is strong and true; just the kind of friendship every one wishes for and some truly lucky already have. Take a friend or two to see it, and you are guaranteed an enjoyable time. Take an acquaintance and you might just find yourself at the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh no, here he goes again!

That was the cry of audience members at a screening of Mamma Mia! anytime Pierce Brosnan began to sing again...and again...and again. While most of the actors were able to handle their renditions of ABBA songs, Brosnan brought a longing for old film adaptations of musicals a la West Side Story or The King and I; where the leading ladies might have had the right look, but not the right voice and so were dubbed during musical numbers. It became downright comical whenever the former Bond began to sing; unfortunately for him, those were the few serious moments of the film.

Mamma Mia! is not a film to see if you don't want snippets of ABBA songs stuck in your head for days. That is about all you can take from this film; the contrived plot may be successful for the live stage show, but falls extremely flat given the abilities of film. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to be married on the small beautiful island where she was raised by her single mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), when she decides she wants her unknown father to give her away. Going through her mother's old diary, she discovers that there are three possible fathers. Sam (Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), and Harry (Colin Firth) all receive wedding invitations and show up unbeknownst to Donna until she falls through a roof to find them all standing together like a Greek version of "This Is Your Life".

It takes Donna a long time to figure out why the guys are there after a twenty year absence. The guys are just as clueless as to why they were invited to Donna's 20-year-old daughter's wedding; everyone is so clueless about the obvious that it makes you wonder just how many brain cells they killed while they were hippies together all those years ago. It is then no surprise when all three think they are the father and never suspect why the other men are there.

Comic relief from all this stupidity comes from Donna's two best friends who have also arrived for the bridal festivities. Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski) try to bring back a little bit of fun and mischief to Donna's life (for all the "fun" she seemed to have in her younger days, she now seems to be striving for sainthood), and bring a refreshing take on women beyond their 30's having a wonderful time that is far too absent from most movies of today.


The Greek isle that plays background to all this silliness is absolutely breathtaking; when you can see it. Director Phyllida Lloyd is unable to make the most of the movie set, instead filling the screen with silly dance numbers from a massive ensemble of supporting cast that seem to come to the tiny island villa for a chorus of "Dancing Queen" before disappearing again into a mysterious void.

In the end, if the movie is given as much thought as the character's give to their own devices, the audience should be able to mind-numbingly tap along to the disco beat. For a night out with the girls (and guys of the dancing queen variety), I'm sure this film could be a fun way to start the evening festivities. However, if you are a fan of ABBA and would rather see a film with some substance, might I suggest renting either The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert or Muriel's Wedding followed by a sing-along to ABBA's greatest hits. Preferably while you are home alone.

Forget About Voldemort, Greed is Latest Potter Enemy

As reported on MSN.com:

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment in the blockbuster film franchise about boy wizard Harry, is moving from its planned Nov. 21 release to July 17, 2009, distributor Warner Bros. said Thursday.
The move was made to take advantage of an open weekend in Hollywood's busy summer season, said Alan Horn, Warner Bros. president and chief operating officer. The film had been on schedule, and the change was not due to any production snags, he said.
"The picture is completely, absolutely, 100 percent on schedule, on time. There were no delays," Horn told The Associated Press. "I've seen the movie. It is fabulous. We would have been perfectly able to have it out in November."
The switch will mean a two-year lag between the film adaptations of books five and six in J.K. Rowling's fantasy series. But it will shorten fans' wait between "Half-Blood Prince" and the final two installments, which are being shot simultaneously next year.

Based on book seven, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last two movies are due out in close order, in November 2010 and summer 2011. Horn said the later release of "Half-Blood Prince" will not affect the schedule for the final two movies.
Horn said the studio has had success with past summer "Harry Potter" releases, including the fifth movie, which was released in 2007 and became the second-highest grossing in the franchise.
The recent Writers Guild of America strike also had affected Hollywood's lineup next summer, leaving a key date open for Warner to slot in "Half-Blood Prince," Horn said.
The July 17 release will be over the same weekend that Warner debuted this year's blockbuster "The Dark Knight," which had a record-breaking opening weekend and is on its way to $500 million domestically and the No. 2 spot on the all-time box-office charts behind "Titanic."
"Half-Blood Prince" finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returning to his wizard classes with a clandestine assignment to root out dark secrets about the early years of his archenemy, the dark Lord Voldemort.
The film is directed by David Yates, who made the fifth movie and also is shooting the final two.
Last February, another big Hollywood film, Paramount's "Star Trek," was bumped from a December release to May 8, 2009. Paramount executives said that move also was intended to take advantage of an open weekend in the summer lineup.

Hairspray : It's Afro-tastic!

I'll admit right up front that I'm not a big fan of musicals. Sure, The Wizard of Oz is my favorite film, but it is a fantasy; I don't expect to be greeted in a foreign land by a Lollipop Guild (though how fun would that be?!) so I'm not thrown off by spontaneous songs in the land of Oz. My normal issues with musicals occurs when serious plots are interspersed with random acts of singing. This should have made me hate Hairspray, a musical about a girl trying to stop segregation on her favorite local dance show; but despite all my own prejudices, I found myself toe-tapping along for most of the two hour sixties explosion.

The main reason this third installment works (first was John Waters 1988 movie starring Ricki Lake, followed by a Broadway show still running) is that it doesn't apologize for being a bit ridiculous and over the top. There are serious issues brought to the forefront; mainly discrimination of others due to their appearance, whether it be the color of their skin or size of their waist; but it doesn't become overly preachy on the subject. Lighter in satire than the original film, there are still plenty of tongue-in-cheek comments and song lyrics that are refreshingly never spelled out, regardless of whether the teen or preteen target audience will get them.

Corny is as corny does for James Marsden, who plays the host of the "Corny Collins Show" except on "Negro Day", the last Tuesday of the month hosted by Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah). Tracy Turnblad (newcomer and recently arrested Nikki Blonsky) and her best friend Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes) can hardly make it through the slow clicking of the school clock before they can race to Tracy's house to watch the teenage dance show. Tracy's mother Edna (played surprisingly sweet and ladylike by John Travolta) doesn't enjoy listening to them squeal in delight as they see the head heartthrob Link Larkin (Zac Efron) but doesn't consider it quite the abomination that Penny's strictly religious mom does (hilariously played by Allison Janney). Tracy's dad, played by Christopher Walken, loves his big-haired, big-bodied beauties and supports whatever will make them happy.

Helping Tracy keep the beat without denting her 'do are the kids she meets in detention (for inappropriate hair height, of course), especially Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) who teaches her some moves that would make "pelvis Elvis" jealous. Along with his sister Little Inez (Taylor Parks), he shows her what life is like on the other side of town. Tracy enjoys it so much she wishes "every day could be Negro day" on Corny's show. Talk like that makes her enemy number one for the antagonists looking to stop progress from happening.

The villains of the film are ice queen mother/daughter duo Velma and Amber Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer and Brittany Snow respectively) who make it real easy to dislike them. Luckily this is a musical, so all will end well and they will get their comeuppance (not really a spoiler...could the feel good summer hit of last year really end any other way?)

When the heat is up and your mood is down, this is a perfect video to rent to lift your spirits and keep you out of the summer slump at the August box office.

Happy Birthday Harry!

Since today is Harry Potter's birthday (and J. K. Rowling's as well) I thought I'd celebrate with the just released trailer for the 6th movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, coming out November 21st. Enjoy!

X almost marks the spot, but skews slightly off target

Chris Carter wanted X-Files: I Want to Believe to be a stand alone project; for people who had never seen an episode of X-Files to be able to watch it and completely understand what was happening. But when it comes to the X-Files, is that even possible?

Fans of the show will undoubtedly enjoy seeing Mulder and Scully together again, and together more than has ever been shown before (I won't go into details, but after 9 seasons of longing looks and sideways glances, things have definitely progressed in the years since the show ended.) No longer in the FBI, Scully is approached by new agent Mosley Drummy (portrayed by rapper Xzibit who should stick to rapping) to ask Mulder to return and help solve the disappearance of a missing FBI agent. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) apparently has a jones for Mulder, as she is the one that has cleared away all charges against him in order for him to come back and help. She is "Scully-lite", a skeptic of claims by a former pedophile priest (Billy Connolly) that he is having visions of the missing agent despite the fact that he keeps leading them directly to missing limbs in a field of pristine snow.

Scully herself spends most of the film in a state of conflict. She is working at a Catholic hospital and needs to perform a controversial stem cell procedure on a young boy. She asks Mulder to help find the missing agent but spends the rest of the film asking him to walk away. She is repulsed by Father Joe and his deviant past, but is compelled to see him regarding his simple prophetic statement of "Don't give up hope." After questioning everything and everyone around her, she is not sure how or where to place her faith.

Faith in Mulder is what Scully resists the most. Our first glimpse of him is as a fully bearded man, clipping out stories of events that would have made new cases if he was not hiding out from the FBI. Back in investigation mode, his enthusiasm for paranormal activities is reawakened and takes him into familiar territory of being ultimately consumed by his longing for the truth. He may no longer work for the FBI, but it is clear that his mind is never far off from his life's work there.

As with most of the television episodes, there is a lot of information beneath the surface that is never quite explained or solved. There was a lot of secrecy about the film before it's release; so much so that fake publicity went up and the film was not even screened early for reviews. Perhaps this was not the wisest of moves, as those fans looking for something deeper in paranormal mythology will be deeply disappointed. No alien conspiracy here, but more a testament towards the connection between all of us; those that we despise and those that we long to save.

Be Smarter

Let me start by saying I really wanted to like this movie. I mean, I love The Office, so naturally anything with Steve Carell is automatically on my must see list. I also was fortunate enough to see Alan Arkin at a lecture on the day the movie released. Unfortunately, I just couldn't love this movie to recommend it as anything more than a rental, and perhaps a red box rental at that.

I never really watched the show so I was starting off with no real knowledge of the characters. I thought that this would make me a lot less outraged than fans of the show that someone as young as Anne Hathaway was playing Agent 99. I think the age difference would not be as notable if there was better chemistry between the two characters. Their romantic tension is practically zilch so it seems unreasonable to go from loathing to lusting so quickly.

The rest of the cast is simply okay. Bronco fans may cheer (or jeer I suppose) at a brief appearance by Bill Romanowski. Dwayne "no longer The Rock" Johnson does what he does best --makes fun of his cheesy self. Masi Oka and Nate Torrence as Bruce and Lloyd, the techie guys at CONTROL earn a few laughs, but certainly not enough for their own movie expansion, though that is what they got with the release of "Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control" on DVD. Seems more like the publicity department at Warner Brothers are the ones out of control with the need to suck out all the money they can from this project.

Some of the stunts and props are fun and entertaining. Advancing beyond the shoe phone is a Swiss Army knife with more capabilities than an iphone, a skydive struggle with not enough parachutes, and exploding dental floss. The action sequences try to compete on the same level as other serious spy movies, but try to add humor. While this was achieved so well in movies like "Casino Royale," here it seems to make everything a bit muddled, and the humor wilts a bit because of it.

That is not to say that there were not moments throughout the film that had me laughing out loud. However, most of those times I found myself alone in my laughter. While the rest of the audience would laugh at the sillier missteps of Maxwell Smart, like those seen in the trailers, I found myself laughing more at Carell's deadpan deliverance, which makes him so great on The Office, and while delivered in a similar style, Carell is talented enough to not mix up Michael Scott and Maxwell Smart, despite their same initials and misguided intentions.

This is a movie to see if you have a couple of hours to kill, and those hours do not include children under 13. The film is PG-13 for a reason -- there are more than a few curse words that would make it a little cringe worthy for a parent. Which is too bad, as bathroom humor is part of the joke repartee, and who enjoys that more than an 8 year old? If you do, then rent this when it comes out.

Lights Out

Here is a short film I made partly for a fast film contest and polished for an audio production class. Last year I entered a contest to see who could make a film about the Colfax Marathon in less than 8 hours. When I finished, I had 3 minutes of my friend Max walking around Denver with a lamp from the 1970's that took 5 hours to make. To add insult to injury, it was mostly a silent film, as it didn't dawn on me that I should have been narrating as I went along and I had no accessible sound equipment nearby. So when the time came for me to add sound to a minute of video, I edited my contest entry, added music, a sound effect of a clicking lamp (which is actually a slamming door turned way way down) and some narration. It's a bit unpolished, as I am a world class procrastinator and worked on it the same day it was due. But here it is. I'm hoping to work on some of my other short films soon.

Holy Epic Movie Batman! (no spoilers)

There is no doubt in my mind that the numbers for The Dark Knight will be huge this weekend; especially when I had to sit in the sixth row while arriving an hour early for the second midnight show to sell out -- I believe there were six total midnight showings at just that particular theater. Being a superhero fan by default (with two older comic book obsessed brothers, I just kind of got submerged in the worlds of human spiders and flying men) I was excited to see the latest version of Batman, especially with writer/director Christopher Nolan at the helm.

I have to say, I was never too crazy about Tim Burton's attempts. I enjoy his "I'm zany, just look at my hair" attempts at things like Nightmare Before Christmas, but I just didn't get his comic book films (I won't even delve into Planet of the Apes; Kevin Smith does a much better/funnier quip on his An Evening with Kevin Smith dvd). And even though I love Chris O'Donnell, enough to even put up with his rubber suit with nipples (remember those things? Talk about scary!) Schumacher seemed to muck up Batman even more. It seemed the tale of the dark crusader was going to fall into the pits of superhero obscurity. That is until Nolan came along, and with his brother, created a world where it doesn't seem so strange to have a man in a mask performing "vigilante" justice for the benefit of the citizens of a major metropolis...and those citizens unable to fully appreciate it.

Christian Bale once again plays the part of the reluctant hero perfectly. The greatest thing about Batman for me is that not only is he just a human being without any special powers, he is also a very flawed human being. Batman Begins dealt with the origins of Batman, while this movie deals with the aftermath. Once you have decided to become something more than yourself, what defines your limitations?

While several other dudes with masks have gone through an identity crisis (and performed some cheesy dance moves along the sidewalk...ahem...Spiderman 3...shudder...), Batman/Bruce Wayne does not have much time to do anything but stop what seems to be unstoppable; a villian with absolutely no morals, no plans, and no agenda besides causing utter terror and chaos wherever he goes. About as fun as clowns can be (and that is no fun AT ALL), Joker is truly terrifying in every aspect of the word.

Had this not been his last completed film, I'm not sure the acclaim for Heath Ledger's performance would be any less praiseworthy; and deservedly so. There are moments of humor to balance out his madness; but he is truly creepy. The worst kind of enemy is the one that has nothing to lose, not even a plan going amok. As he explains to Batman, he is "a dog chasing cars" that has no idea what he would do with it if he caught it, but needs the chase anyway. It is somewhat a blessing and a curse that this last film showed what a truly gifted actor Heath was; someone that escapes so much into a role that you forget about the actor beneath the character.

As strange as it sounds, this is really not a comic book movie. The action scenes are truly spectacular, but at the same time underplayed. They don't replace a storyline, they only enhance it. The plotlines move beyond the campiness of past attempts and has characters that are highly dimensional and fully developed. Thank goodness Katie Holmes was replaced; the only sore spot of the Batman Begins film, Maggie Gyllenhaal brings an intensity to Rachel Dawes character that makes you understand why Bruce Wayne would want to strive for a day when no Batman is needed. Unfortunately for him, that seems like a day that will not come anytime soon. Fortunately for us, that brings hope for some darkness in the summertime heat of years to come.