Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been picking up as many shifts as I can before Karl Marx is elected on Tuesday. One can only hope his inevitable retroactive 75% tax rate on me only extends to 1/1/09. Anyway, here goes:
30 Rock – Do Over
Season 3, Episode 1 See it here.
Liz Lemon wants to adopt a child and Jack Donaghy wants to run GE. Liz must trick an adoption agency interviewer and Jack may have to go all the way with the cerebral deficient GE president. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are perfect in their roles, quickly becoming classic TV characters. The writing of this episode was very strong. Baldwin’s rants, the one with Dora the Explorer panties and obese children in particular, were hilarious. Making fun of soap operas was also great especially since . . .
The Office is quickly becoming one. In the last 2 episodes (Crime Aid and Employee Transfer), Michael’s relationship with Holly went from interesting to tiresome in less than one hour. Jim and Pam’s long distance relationship and his unfunny brothers were all grating. The love triangle between Dwight-Andy-Angela had some potential with the role reversal Cornell-beet farmer thing, but Dwight and Jim acted like each other just last year. I guess you could say this has always been a “relationship” show, but it’s never felt like one until the past 2 weeks – and it hasn’t involved nearly every character. Darryl was great trying to get in touch with someone – anyone – on the phone, though - so he wouldn't have to deal with Michael and Holly. I felt exactly the same way. Both episodes: B-
Saturday, November 1, 2008
NBC Thursday 10/30/08
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Snow Angels - B-
Before Pineapple Express, David Gordon Green directed rough family drams like George Washington and Undertow. Gordon’s other 2008 release, Snow Angels has about as much in common with Pineapple Express as Obama and McCain – or better yet, Alan Keyes and Ralph Nader. In a small Pennsylvania town, a divorced couple (Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell) fight over their daughter. Meanwhile Beckinsale is having an affair with her best friend’s husband (Nicky Katt). Bekinsale works at a restaurant with highschooler Arthur who’s discovering first love with Lila. Arthur’s parents have just separated. The film is relentlessly grim and depressing with most adults (except Arthur’s mom and the best friend) acting like selfish children, consistently making poor choices . . .
The film is interesting in showing the stages of amorous relationships from the discovery phase with the teens Arthur and Lila to the irreconcilable end-game of Beckinsale-Rockwell. The cold wintry landscapes perfectly capture the ubiquitous barren souls but it’s a tough one to sit through. The adults are so selfish, they completely lose track of their children. Beckinsale struggles with her role, but everyone else does an admirable job, especially Rockwell, who has never shown this kind of depth. Tom Noonan pops up, deadpan hilarious, in an early scene as a marching band director. As for Green, he keeps a consistetly bleak and joyless tone throughout. The best scenes involve the two teenagers and Arthur's mom. It’s almost a B, except that it makes the only (recently converted) Christian a gun-loving nutjob. B-
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Don't Vote
Interesting "Get out the Vote" video directed by Steven Spielberg featuring Leo, Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Scarlett Johanson, Justin Timberlake, Harrison Ford, Orlando Bloom, Snoop Dogg, Borat, Ryan Reynolds, Benicio Del Toro, Neil Patrick Harris, Cameron Diaz and others.
Continue reading this postDVD and CD Releases - October 28th
Recent DVD Releases: 
Death Defying Acts
Hell Ride
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Linewatch
Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith
Zombie Strippers
Click below for more DVD and CD releases.
DVD Special Editions/Other Releases:
TV Box Sets:
The 4400: Complete Series
Brotherhood: Season Two
The Flintstones: Complete Series
Good Times: Complete Series
The Little Rascals: Complete Collection
NewsRadio: Complete Series
Sanford and Son: Complete Series
Special Editions/Other Releases:
Abbott & Costello: Complete Universal Pictures Collection
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
Hank and Mike
Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition
National Lampoon's Animal House
The Polar Express Presented in 3-D
Run for Your Life
Tinker Bell
New CD Releases:
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology
Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, and The Amorphous Strums -Dark Developments
Coolio -Steal Hear
The Cure -Dream 4.13
Cynic -Traced On Air
Deerhunter -Microcastle
DJ Babu -Duck Season 3
Dragonette -Galore
Emery -While Broken Hearts Prevail EP
Tom Gabel -Against Me! singer Heart Burns EP
Kaiser Chiefs -Off With Their Heads
Toby Keith -That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy
JOhn Legend -Evolver
Lovedrug -The Sucker Punch Show
Pink -Funhouse
Queen + Paul Rodgers -The Cosmos Rocks
Snow Patrol -A Hundred Million Suns
Lucinda Williams -Lu in 08
Sunday, October 26, 2008
For all you Ryan Adams Fans
Here's a "Playlist" article from today's NY Times wherein he talks about his latest album (out Tuesday) and what he's been listening to on his tour bus, complete with a comparison of Jay-Z to E.E. Cummings.
Continue reading this postSNL - Jon Hamm/Coldplay - 10/25
The most obscure SNL host in recent memory turned out to be a pretty good one . . .
My favorite skit was probably the Vincent Price thing. Anyone who’s seen Sunset Boulevard will admit how great Kristen Wiig was as Gloria Swanson. Jon Hamm was a pretty great James Mason, too. Bill Hader is always a great Vincent Price – I may start using “Cheesy greasy” on a regular basis. Jon Hamm was also good playing up his Mad Men persona here and here. The Jon Hamm’s John Ham had a terrific visual with sliced ham coming off a toilet roll dispenser. He was also hilarious here:
The opening which parodied recent crazy comments by Joe Biden and John Murtha was OK but a little too long. The Obama variety show was just OK, mostly notable for the return of Ms. Paul Thomas Anderson. Seth Myers seems better off at the Weekend Update desk without Amy Poehler, who was in labor. The Will Forte sex offender skit was uncomfortable but definitely worked, but Forte’s Robocall was a little much. On the Baby Mama DVD commentary, Tina Fey says it’s easy to forget how handsome Forte is because he’s “f@cking nuts”. I couldn’t agree more.
Coldplay is better heard than seen. Chris Martin needs to not hop around so much and all of their clothes are out of some kind of winter gay pride parade. At least they played “Yellow”. Hopefully, they’ll ditch the tympani for the next album. The only thing worse than the tympani is Andy Samberg as a Rastafarian. But, for my money, the best show so far this season. B+
Rachel Getting Married - A-
In theaters. Rated R, 116 minutes. Trailer.
"You may be through with the past, but the past is not through with you." This Magnolia quote is never spoken in Rachel Getting Married, but its message is felt throughout. Anne Hathaway is Kim, the junkie sister of the bride. After an expectedly warm reception from her relatives following a 9 month stint in rehab, her sister's wedding weekend turns into a visceral reckoning with the family demons that are the source of her addiction. Click below on what Margot at the Wedding could have been:
The tension with her sister Rachel starts first after she learns she is not the maid of honor. It slowly builds as we learn about the tragedy in their family (caused by Kim) and how they have all dealt with it. Director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) shoots the film with handheld cameras, giving it the feel of a documentary and inundating the audience with intimate moments. There are several masterful sequences that end up being ruined by an inadvertent or accidental reference to the tragedy. Initially, we blame it all on Kim, but as her parents' neuroses (especially her distant mother, Abby (Debra Winger)) become clearer we begin to shift the blame and the film becomes a parable on the realities of life after a tragedy. Kim talks sadly about wanting to believe in a God that can forgive her, but not wanting there to be a god that would. This film exposes lots of the raging sea of emotions underlying most family gatherings in a real and authentic way.
There are no easy answers or forgiveness for Kim or her family. She can't move on and neither can they...Lumet and Demme seem to be saying they never will. The script (by Jenny Lumet - Sidney's daughter) unpeels like an onion. Symbols, conversations, looks and comments deepen and change in their meaning as the story unfolds. They aren't 'spoilers' in the traditional sense, but it enhances the enjoyment and meaning of the film enough to warrant their omission in this review. This is a very likely Best Original Screenplay nominee, and the authenticity and intelligence of most of the dialogue was a main component of my enjoyment.
The cast here is excellent. Hathaway is all but guaranteed a Best Actress nod for a great performance (and a rough year that will likely attract the Academy's sympathy). Role players Debra Winger, Mather Zickel and Bill Irwin are all excellent as they participate in and bear witness to the turmoil. Demme's direction is first-rate, with several musical interludes (1 too many for me) and long scenes with a meaty payoff. The film features an alarmingly diverse wedding (mixed-race couple, multiple religion wedding with Hawaiian themes?!) and lots of music.
My favorite scenes were anything with Debra Winger and the dishes scene.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
R.E.M. Concert - October 24, 2008
At Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie.
Ever since I have liked music, I've liked REM. After tragically missing their 1997 tour with Radiohead, I saw them in 2003 and then again last night. We missed all of opener Old 97's due to an unruly wait time at our restaurant, but settled into our soundbooth-side seats in dead center. The band took the stage around 9:20 and launched into an aggressive set. Michael Stipe has a great voice (as I've documented elsewhere), and Peter Buck and Mike Mills have been able to craft some classic songs through the last 2.5 decades. Click below for more of REM:
They played several songs off of their recently released (to much acclaim) album Supernatural Superserious, which bent the overall feel of the concert too far to the 'rock' side. I prefer a showcase for Stipe's voice with Nightswimming, Country Feedback and E-Bow the Letter (none of which were played) to the endless drubbing of punk-ish songs that squander the textures and sounds the band is capable of. Make no mistake, their quality middle of the road songs (Man on the Moon, Orange Crush, Its the End of The World, Losing My Religion, Drive, etc) were all played to great effect, especially Orange Crush. The arrangement of the song and the harmonies combined with the crowd's enthusiasm made it the best of the night.
Stipe spent a lot of time talking about the 5 years he lived in Texas growing up (he mentioned Killeen, FT. Hood, Copperas Cove and Coryell County). He also praised the dawning of the Obama era (with about 70% cheers and 30% boos), but didn't get too heavy on the politics. Overall it was a good, but not great, show. I'd prefer a haunting unplugged performance, but I'll take whatever I can get. #remdallas
P.S. The Dallas Morning News ran a great feature chronicling all of their Dallas shows over the years. Their review.
Friday, October 24, 2008
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - A-
On DVD (Finally)(2007). Rated R, 114 minutes. Trailer.
Rarely has such a fuss been made over a film's omission from the Best Foreign Film nominations as was made over just 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (winner of the Palm D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year). The Romanian abortion drama (I know, those 3 little words = fun!) was loved by critics but apparently not by the elderly foreign film selection committee. In any event the film is excellent, if challenging and bleak. It tells the story of the day in 1987 when a Romanian college student (Gabita) gets an abortion. The film is shot and the story is told through the perspective of the best friend (Otilia) and roommate of the girl getting the abortion. Click below on a dense and interesting film:
Writer/director Cristian Mungiu tells the story in a straighforward, mechanical fashion showcasing the impact of a communist state on the lives of its citizens. The lights flicker, certain brands of cigarettes are only sold on the black market, and the government determines where you go after university. The film begins in the dorm room of Gabita and Otilia as they prepare for what seems like a trip, with Otilia immediately taking charge and Otilia acting absentmindedly. The hand-held camera and angles chosen by Mungiu give the film a voyeuristic feel. We know what the girls are up to, but its not clear what the plan is until it unfolds.
After an afternoon of money borrowing, packing and hotel reservations, Otilia meets 
up with the abortionist, Adi, in an anonymous parking spot and rides with him to the hotel. The film is uncompromising in its presentation of the implications of abortion as a crime. Everything feels like and is arranged like a drug deal or a 'hit'. The participation in an illegal act renders the two women completely vulnerable to the brutal and exploitative Adi. Once in the hotel room, he belittles and threatens to leave until Otilia performs the ultimate act of friendship in order to keep him there to abort Gabita's baby.
Mungiu shows the abortion from the side, tastefully (if that's possible), and it is not graphic. As the recipient of the procedure, Gabita is a miniscule part of the film as Mungiu focuses on the impact of the situation on Otilia. This is masterfully done as she leaves Gabita to go to her boyfriend's house to for his mother's birthday dinner. The light, airy atmosphere in the home and the sniping, yuppy drivel spoken at the table juxtaposed with her day and what she is in process with is powerful stuff. The dinner scene is an extended shot of about 10 minutes, an unbelievable feat with great acting from Otilia. Her journey to the apartment and then back to Gabita is again beautifully, tragically shot. Once she returns and finds the fetus laying (visibly) on the bathroom floor of the hotel room, she helps Gabita and then leaves with the baby in her purse to dispose of it. Those are, of course wrenching 'nobody is a winner here' scenes. The film ends anti-climacticly with the two friends sharing dinner.
Whew. This film is not for everyone, that much should be obvious. It is hard to watch, unrelenting and depressing for the whole running time. The story, script, direction and acting are all intelligent and dense, leaving an indelible mark on me for the 3 days since I have seen it. As a film, its a clear A, but for me it is an A- because of how difficult it was. Mungiu explores lots of meaty themes like class warfare, women in society, abortion (duh), totalitarianism, education, consequences and sex. I am pro-life, and I did not find the film to be offensive or pushy on its agenda. Mungiu shades the dialogue with tinges of the irresponsibility that resulted in the pregnancy, and the fact that it is 1987 Romania obviously allows the viewer to place several distinguishing marks between it and a modern day Western country. Still, though, the implications of criminalized abortion are in plain view. There can be no denying it can make vulnerable women more so and empower the wrong kinds of people to take advantage of such situations.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Last 5 Downloads
I’ve been digging the old stuff of late. These five have been in my cranium iPod for years.
Me and Bobby McGee- Janis Joplin. Written by Kris Kristofferson, a Willie Nelson concert staple, and sung by everybody in the 60’s, it’s Joplin’s scratchy vocals with gospel piano, swirling Hammond, and building electric guitar that transports me. Line: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to loose.” Listen here
And here is the rest of it. Listen here.
I will Follow- U2. Yeah, I don’t own Boy. One of the few times U2 actually sounds much like the punk the claim, this one’s a classic. The Edge’s guitar is more like a rhythm section than a melody or harmony and Bono’s voice is perfect. I love the weird bridge that sounds like a slice of Achtung dropped in. Listen here.
Galveston- Glen Campbell. I love classic Glen, but none seem more dated by over-orchestration than this one. Still, this Vietnam-era song of a soldier remembering that last golden summer while cleaning his gun brings a lump to my throat. When you’re wanting to channel the late-60’s, this is the perfect companion to Me and Bobby McGee. Line: “Galveston, Oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying.” Listen here.
Most of the Time (Alternate Version- The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8)- Bob Dylan. Like a one-man-band, the harmonica-and-guitar crash over each other and Dylan’s voice I my favorite version of this song that’s really all about the rest of the time. Line: I don't cheat on myself. I don't run and hide. Hide from the feelings that are buried inside. I don't compromise and I don't pretend. I don't even care if I ever see her again. Most of the time." Listen here (not the alternate version).
These Days (Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1)- Jackson Browne. Too easily forgotten, Jackson Browne’s 70’s and early 80’s stuff are ignored at your own peril. Tapping the desperation and fear that lies just below the surface, this one covers similar ground as The Pretender, but, to my way of thinking, holds up better.
Line: “I’ve had a lover, It’s so hard to risk another these days.” “Don’t confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them.” Listen here.
Short Cuts
Deception D
On DVD, Rated R, 107 Minutes
Talk about slumming, Michelle Williams, Hugh Jackman, and Ewan McGregor all three scrape the bottom of the barrel in this 2008 release. Theoretically a “suspense/thriller,” it’s really a convoluted mess of hackneyed plot pieces stolen from better fare. McGregor, in his most cloying, sweet, innocent mode, is a shy traveling CPA, checking the books for the business big wigs. Enter Hugh Jackman, a Princeton-trained ladies man who befriends McGregor and introduces him to a sex club where McGregor meets and falls for (in two days, mind you) Michelle Williams. Williams gets nabbed by Jackman and McGregor has to steal some serious cash to get her back. We were taking bets before the abduction as to whether Williams was in on the set-up and if she’d play the “but it wasn’t all acting” card (yes, and yes). What we didn’t see coming was how little we’d care. The director’s name is Marcel Langeneggar’s and this is his debut. Remember the name. Stay away from his movies. D
In Bruges A
On DVD, Rated R, 107 Minutes
The other two have already raved about this, but I’m a bit slow on the uptake. I loved everything about this film, from Colin Farrell’s self-loathing hitman Ray to Ralph Fiennes ruthless kingpin with an oddly concrete personal morality, but it’s Brendan Gleeson’s Ken, a journeymen killer who sees something worth dying for in Farrell, that held me spellbound. The images of Bruges are perfect, with the deep shadows of a town still beautiful hundreds of years past its prime just matching the dark, foreboding beauty of the emerging relationships between Ray and himself, Gleeson, and Clemence Poesy’s Chloe. The supporting cast is perfect and the dialogue is crisp and to the point. This is writer director Martin McDonagh’s second film (first, 2004’s Six Shooter). Remember his name as well. A
Forgetting Sarah Marshall A-
On DVD, Rated R, 112 Minutes
Already reviewed by the other two as well, this one really worked for me. Not as crude as the other offerings from Team Apatow (not counting guy parts), this is also my favorite. Jason Segel stars and also wrote this rom-com for guys. Still, it’s Mila Kunis that owns the movie, stealing every scene she’s in (no mean feat with Segel and British comedian Russell Brand in many of them). Kristen Bell also holds up nicely, as do Bill Hader (SNL), Jack McBrayer (still playing Kenny from 30 Rock), Paul Rudd (Clueless), and Jonah Hill (Superbad). Little known fact: the vampire puppet musical at the closing is real and written by Segel. A-
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
You Don't Mess with the Zohan - C+
On DVD
Adam Sandler is Zohan, an Israeli counter-terrorist who dreams of working in a hair salon in America. He fakes his death early in the movie during a fight with his rival Phantom (John Turturro) so he can move to New York. Of course his past will follow him there, even as he tries to start a relationship with Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film is unlike any other “Sandler” movie with the use of CGI and wire-fu action scenes. Zohan does impossible stunts – even more ridiculous than Will Smith’s Hancock – and while occasionally amusing, it’s been done many times before and better. What hasn’t been done is making the action hero the ultimate metrosexual. Zohan is equally obsessed with looks and Mariah Carey . . .
Sandler uses many former SNL alumni: Kevin Nealon, Robert Smigel, Rob Schneider, and Chris Rock - to middling success. The presence of Turturro is unsettling since the title is taken from one his famous Big Lebowski lines. He was Oscar-caliber in that Coen classic, but quite embarrassing here. The cameos range from familiar (John McEnroe) to not bad (Mariah Carey) to hilarious (George Takei). But Sandler is the real draw. It’s nice seeing him playing an actual character, rather than himself. Zohan is a unique and interesting guy, but I’m worried about Sandler’s ego. He feels the need to make himself the best killing-machine alive and also the best woman-pleaser. After Zohan cuts a lady’s hair (no matter the age or weight), he’ll take her to the back for the ol’ in ‘n’ out.
This is a big step up from the last “Sandler” movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which had a tacky premise that went nowhere. The hook here is that Chriqui is Palestinian and a union with the Israeli Zohan would seriously upset the families and communities. It’s nice that Sandler is using his substantial bank account to explore such matters, but this is the most simplistic and ludicrous “political” movie since Rocky IV. You can predict that Arabs and Jews will work together in the end toward defeating common enemies: right-wing hicks and real estate developers. C+
30 Rock on hulu.com
The 30 Rock season premiere will be available on www.hulu.com tomorrow 10/23, a week before it airs on NBC.
Source: here. Thanks to the doctor's lawyer brother for the heads up.
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? - C
It takes some kind of hubris to think you’re the one guy on earth who can find Osama Bin Laden. Morgan Spurlock had a modest success in 2004 with Super Size Me, where he put on dozens of pounds in just a few weeks eating McDonald’s fast food for every meal. But this is quite a leap, like thinking you can rid America of guns, or affect a Presidential election with a movie, or get universal health care passed in America by saying how great Fidel Castro and Cuba are. For his follow up, Spurlock decided to make the world a better place for his pregnant wife and future offspring by finding the FBI’s most wanted man . . . 
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
DVD and CD Releases - October 21st
Recent DVD Releases: 
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
The Incredible Hulk
Mondays in the Sun
The Strangers
Click below for more DVD and CD releases.
DVD Special Editions/Other Releases:
TV Box Sets:
Ben 10 Alien Force: Season One, V1
Birds of America
Family Guy: Volume Six
The Incredible Hulk: Complete Series
Knight Rider: Complete Series
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume Six
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Complete Series
Special Editions/Other Releases:
Anaconda 3: Offspring
Casino Royale: 40th Anniversary Edition
Casino Royale: Collector's Edition
The Lazarus Project
Vice
New CD Releases:
AC/DC -Black Ice (Wal-Mart exclusive)
Bohren & der Club of Gore -Dolores
Brett Dennen -Hope for the Hopeless
Electric Six -Flashy
Hospital Ships -Oh, Ramona
Ludacris -Theater of the Mind
Matisyahu -Shattered EP
Of Montreal -Skeletal Lamping
pH10 -Well Connected
Matt Sims -Happily Ever After
Social Code -He Said, She Said EP
Super XX Man -Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds
Various Artists -All Aboard: A Tribute To Johnny Cash
Lee Ann Womack -Call Me Crazy
Monday, October 20, 2008
88 Minutes - C
On DVD
Al Pacino is an FBI forensic psychologist who also teaches at a Seattle university. A serial killer that he helped put away years earlier is to be executed in a few hours when Pacino receives a phone call that he has 88 minutes to live. A copycat killer is on the loose killing associates of Pacino. The deliberately confusing plot and numerous characters are mostly frustrating, only there to trick the audience. The plot contrivances are overwhelming. Pacino is led around town by the killer who can somehow predict how he will respond to every circumstance and also how long it will take him to get around. He does absolutely ridiculous things: breaking into apartments, commandeering a taxicab, throwing cell phones . . .
The directing by Jon Avnet is pretty awful, amateurish even, with ridiculous close-ups and camera moves. The movie lacks tension but is definitely watchable, often unintentionally hilarious. It’s far from the “worst movie of the year” reviews hanging around its neck. Pacino is actually somewhat believable as a boozy poon-hound. He does have a terrible scene when he describes the significance of “88 minutes”, but he is an exciting performer even when spouting ridiculous dialogue. The rest of the cast blends together with no real standout. The revelation at the end intends for you to rewatch the film and examine it, but it’s pretty obvious – even early on – that there’s nothing to be learned or appreciated here, just a writer, a director, and a bunch of actors going through the motions of a typical serial killer movie. C
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Saturday Night Live - Host Josh Brolin -10/18
After a terrific opening and a so-so monologue saved by surprise audience member Oliver Stone, laughs were scarce. Mark Wahlberg poking fun at himself was the only other great moment . . .
SNL continues its ridiculously biased viewpoint comparing Obama to an angel and McCain to a garbage truck. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin has gotten old sooner than expected. Alec Baldwin calling the real Governor Palin “Tina” is somewhat amusing, but Mark Wahlberg was the star cameo of the opening. After his humorless rant against Andy Samberg on Jimmy Kimmel, Wahlberg was a really good sport. The best image of the early Fall TV season is the real Wahlberg talking to a donkey who then turns away from him (insert jackass joke here).
Kristen Wiig annoyed as the “Surprises” woman as well as Suzy Orman, although Orman’s phallic joke worked. I’m not sure what the point of the “I’m No Angel” sketch. Do New Yorkers think all Texan men are hairy perverts who like to fornicate with pregnant whores? Though, Amy Poehler is great doing that ridiculous dance – I gave Will Arnett a 50/50 chance to make it through the show without being a father. Poehler and Seth Myers Weekend Update was instantly forgettable. Will Forte is getting stranger and stranger – he must be off his meds. Host Josh Brolin is completely wasted. The uninspired Fartface, Narc School, and Fall Foliage skits ended the disappointing show. C
Saturday, October 18, 2008
W. - B
In theaters. Rated PG-13, 128 minutes. Trailer.
When a President serves two terms, any informed American becomes intimately familiar with the narrative of his life. Our 43rd President, George W. Bush, is no exception. From his infamous party days, oil busts, religious awakening and problems with grammar, his is a familiar story to most. In W., Director Oliver Stone has put forth a deceivingly 'accurate' picture of the man who would be President. Click below for more on W., also known as Oliver Stone's Forrest Gump:
The film starts out with W. (an inspired Josh Brolin) pledging at Yale and proceeds non-linearly through his early days and Presidency. The anchor of the film is the lead up to the Iraq War and the Cabinet's discussions about how to sell the war to the American people. Those scenes are juxtaposed with a chronological account of all of the familiar Bush stories. Stone has two main themes, one focusing on W. personally and his family relationships and the other focusing on the failures of the W. administration, as perceived by Stone and writer Stanley Weiser (Wall Street).
I'll start with the second theme first. Most Americans pretty much agree that we wish we had a 'do over' with Iraq, and I am very interested in how the innerworkings of the administration came to recommend and carry out the Iraq War. Based mostly on the books that have come out from Bob Woodward and others, certain scenes seem accurate, while others have to be made up by their very nature, such as private lunches with Vice President Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss) and W. As President, W. is presented as incapable of the job and crushed under the weight of its responsibilities, while his advisors are presented as megalomaniacal (Cheney and Rove), clueless (Rumsfeld and Rice), sycophantic (Rice, Fleischer and Tenet), and lazy (Tenet). The strongest scenes were the cabinet meetings discussing the war, with each character playing their role prescribed, as prescribed by the Left. Colin Powell is at first made to be the hero, with his caution about Iraq and preference for not taking Baghdad, but he too "trades integrity for access" - one of the strongest (and probably most accurate) lines from the film.
While I don't buy this version of events, it is likely to be somewhere in the same zip code as reality, and Stone essentially lets W. off the hook for Iraq and hangs that albatross around the aforementioned coterie of inept and manipulative advisors. 
The family dynamic is centered around the plight of every son with a larger than life father - how to live up to expectations and outrun the oversized shadow. In W.'s case, its even more difficult because of his smarter, more contemplative brother Jeb. In the film W. is presented as a ne'er do well (accurately), while Jeb is Poppy Bush's (James Cromwell) fair haired boy all set to follow in his footsteps while W. is shown being crushed by the "soft bigotry of low expectations" and can never escape the demons of his father.
In all, the film was somewhat interesting to watch, but I couldn't help but feel like it was just an adaptation of the multiple biographies of W. along with some New York Times reporting of the run up to the war. As with any Stone film, there are multiple interesting camera angles and cuts, along with a great surreal soundtrack. Still, I can't help but think this would've been a stronger film if it was farmed out to a semi-fictional character, such as in Primary Colors (B+), which was just a fictional version of Clinton.
The acting in the film is all fine, although Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice was such a caricature I couldn't tell if it was just bad acting or an intentional farce. Brolin may deserve an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a cocky, haunted man miscast as the lead in history.
Friday, October 17, 2008
TV This Week
The Office: Baby Shower - - hulu it here
Season 5, Episode 3 (Original air date: 10/16)
Michael throws a shower for his ex-girlfriend Jan’s new baby, while members of the office show various stages of disgust and outrage. Jim and Pam are out of sync on cell phone conversations. Dwight tests the durability of Jan’s $1200 stroller. Creed provides the best line of the night (after Jan described delivering her baby in a bathtub with water and the placenta): “Must be like the tide at Omaha Beach.” The rest of the episode was filled with mildly amusing, if not particularly memorable moments. Stanley had a funny moment comparing himself to a pregnant woman. Jim’s reaction to Jan singing “Son of a Preacher Man” is great, but an entire episode built on unnecessary conflict is a tough one to pull off well. But the use of "ass-turd", "golden shower", and "pervert" always helps. B
Next The Office episode: Crime Aid on 10/23
30 Rock (finally) begins 10/30
Click below for SNL, South Park, and McCain on Letterman
South Park: Breast Cancer Show Ever (10/15)
You have to be a familiar with South Park to completely appreciate this episode. After Cartman makes fun of Wendy’s breast cancer presentation, she challenges him to a fight after school. He eventually chickens out of it several times. She is then inspired by the principal to finally kick his ass. You have to like Cartman’s shenanigans to like this episode. The brief There Will Be Blood homage was a nice touch. See it here.
Regular viewers: B
Occasional viewers: C+
Saturday Night Live
Weekend Update Thursday (10/16)
Disastrous in every way: repetitive, dull, biased, and worst of all – unfunny. The opening skit taking on the 3rd McCain-Obama debate was nothing but an attempt to discredit “Joe the Plumber” as a potential influence on the election. There was not one joke directed toward Obama - I guess the writers think he’s perfect. Hey, writers, Joe Wurzelbacher is a real person (not a figment of McCain’s imagination) and has shown Obama for the socialist that the Illinois Senator is. I’ll agree that Joe W. was mentioned too frequently in the debate but this skit was just not funny. Seth Myers and Amy Poehler were equally unfunny, relentlessly attacking McCain and his supporters. Let’s hope these were the jokes that were discarded for the new SNL tomorrow night (10/18) – with host Josh Brolin. *Governor Palin is rumored (by the real John McCain) to make an appearance on the 10/18 SNL* (see below). I'd make a link or embed a video, but you'd hate me for it. C-
Late Show with David Letterman
Guest: John McCain (10/16)
John McCain cancelled an appearance on Letterman in September and Dave has verbally excoriated him every waking minute since. If Obama would have cancelled, it would have been “measured” or “nuanced”. Anyway, McCain decided to walk into the lions’ den last night, admitting he made a mistake by not showing. He also compared Letterman’s grilling to his last interrogation in the Hanoi Hilton. Dave has the amazing ability to keep you relaxed and make you smile as he plunges the dagger into your left ventricle. He basically spouted Obama’s talking points and McCain defended himself well. McCain showed grace under fire and a sense of humor. Dave almost lost that sh!t-eating grin when McCain pledged to take all of Dave’s wealth and give it to the audience members. The biggest revelation of the show was when McCain said the actual Sarah Palin will be on SNL this weekend. You can see the whole interrogation, I mean, interview here. B-