Battle: Los Angeles - Movie Review

Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13) 112 minutes D-
Aliens Invade Los Angeles blah blah blah - who cares

Starring Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña

The more I think about this film the more I hate it.  Unless you like bad sci-fi, gooey aliens, nonstop gunfire, endless explosions, loud and obnoxious video game-like films, don't waste your money. 

Lone Dinosaur Ponders Why (Music Review)

First Impression Music Review

J Mascis - Several Shades of Why B 

Release Date: March 15, 2011

Music critic Steve Labate (Paste magazine) wrote, "J’s lazy, just-rolled-outta-bed croon set against the stripped-bare backdrop of acoustic guitars and cellos and jingling tambourines is pure magic."  I think that pretty much says it all. 

I knew this album wouldn't disappoint, solo acoustic is about the closest we'll get to knowing J Mascis.  The dude is a total mystery but I dig the way he sings with an every-man-vulnerability and plays guitar like a god.

Favorite tracks - "Not Enough", "Very Nervous and Love" and "Where Are You"

The Adjustment Bureau - Movie Review

The Adjustment Bureau (PG-13) 99 minutes C
Two lovers attempt to change their fate while eluding men in fedoras

Starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly and Terence Stamp

When I first saw the trailer for the The Adjustment Bureau about a year ago I was floored! It looked like a smart, intense, romantic action adventure starring two of Hollywood's biggest and most talented stars. Then the September 17, 2010 release was pushed back to March 4, 2011... Uh-Oh! It turns out that The Adjustment Bureau needed some adjusting and I can see why.

The film wasted a perfectly good love story by wrapping it in a dull, poor man's Inception-like plot (minus the slow motion dreams). The central idea of free will vs predestination is intriguing but executed flatly and somewhat predictably. Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick called The Adjustment Team, this adaptation feels like a small collage of films that have combined elements of sci-fi with romance to appeal to a boarder audience. By no means is this a bad thing; Damon and Blunt are jive decent and the concept is worth pondering. But the story and the direction falls short.

My recommendation for this one- rental.

Hall Pass - Movie Review

Hall Pass (R) 105 minutes C+
I Want You to Want Me
Starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Nicky Whelan, Richard Jenkins

Yes. Hall Pass is a dimwit comedy that is predictable, bordering on offensive and immature. But it's not without truth, sporadic humor and the underlying sentiment of wanting to feel desirable. Sure, it's all potty mouth, gross out jokes and juvenile humor but at the core is something legitimate. Yet unfortunately (or fortunately?) the film is too goofy to explore such game changers.

Hall Pass is directed by the Farrelly Brothers of Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber fame. However, I also liked Fever Pitch, Me, Myself and Irene, and the heavily panned Heartbreak Kid (all Farrelly Brother films). Therefore I was bound to like this stinker at least a little bit.

Two suburban dads get the proverbial hall pass from marriage and after a little reluctance they attempt to make the most of their week of freedom with near disastrous results. Meanwhile, the wives enjoy a little pass of their own...

The film is uneven and laugh out loud moments are few and far between. For whatever reason Jason Sudeikis (SNL) never seems comfortable here and I'm not sure how I feel about the Farrelly's casting Richard Jenkins as the ultimate swinging single (Jenkins is a premiere actor but an odd choice). Nevertheless, I have to admit I sort of enjoyed the film.

If you like the Farrelly Brother and you're a fan of Owen Wilson I say see it! For everyone else, I say wait until it to arrives at your local discount/second run theatre.
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Bonus DVD Review
The Answer Man (R) 95 minutes C-
I Can't Be Your Answer Man

DVD Release Date: Novemember 2009
Starring Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Kat Dennings, Olivia Thirlby, Max Antisell, Nora Dunn

In 1988 Arlen Faber (Daniels) released a popular self help book called Me and God. It became a massive best seller and international sensation. Now with the 20th anniversary edition about to be released Faber is nothing more than a cranky, reclusive and miserable human being. Struggling with insufferable back pain he meets a good looking chiropractor (Lauren Graham) and proceeds to fall for her if he can only keep his OCD at bay.

I applaud this film for not taking the easy way out and wrapping everything in a neat and tidy bow which it had the opportunity to do several times. But overall it isn't very good despite Jeff Daniels winning me over in the end.

This might be worth renting if you're a big fan of any of the cast listed above. Otherwise skip it.

Walking the Line Between Illness and Insanity (Book Review)

The Unnamed - Joshua Ferris B-
Publication Date: January 2010

I almost gave up on this novel about a man who can't stop walking. The protagonist is Tim Farnsworth, a well-to-do lawyer with a lovely wife and young daughter. He has an undiagnosed illness that randomly makes him walk until totally exhaustion. Often times passing out from fatigue and waking in strange/undesirable places (like the time he woke up in an alley with a homeless man trying to rape him).

At first I didn't care and wasn't enthralled by the story. But about a quarter through this journey there's a scene where Tim's wife meets a handsome stranger at the grocery store (or maybe it was a liquor store?), it really has no bearing on the rest of the story but it's the point where Ferris grabbed my attention and the story began to matter.

After that things got edgier, sexier and sadder. Tim's illness kicked into high gear and it really took a toll on him mentally and physically, while his wife developed problems of her own. Essentially the once happy and loving family is torn apart by the unnamed illness and brought together by an unrelenting love.

I liked that Ferris kept me guessing through the latter part of the book, yet I was torn between thinking his prose was pretentious and thinking it was amazing. Finding his story intriguing yet cumbersome. It's a mixed bag but one that might be worth staying with until the end.

The Curtis Awards - Best Films of 2010

Drum Roll Please!

20. Kick-Ass
19. Mother and Child
18. The Fighter
17. Cyrus
16. Easy A
15. Fair Game
14. Scott Pilgram vs the World
13. Please Give
12. Greenberg
11. Tamara Drewe
10. I Love You Phillip Morris
9. I Am Love
8. Tiny Furniture
7. The Town
6. The Kids Are Alright
5. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
4. The Social Network
3. The Square
2. Helena From the Wedding
1. Blue Valentine

Honorable Mention: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Black Swan, Get Low, Chloe, Rabbit Hole, Ghost Writer, Winter's Bone.

Rabbit Hole - Movie Review

Rabbit Hole (PG-13) 92 Minutes B
Down in a Hole

Starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller, Sandra Oh

Here's a nice, quiet little film that despite its two stars (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) has virtually gone unnoticed. Perhaps it's the subject matter that turned audiences away but anyone who enjoys a well-executed drama and outstanding acting by a leading lady should see this film.

It's the story of a couple struggling to get back on track after the death of their son, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Becca (Kidman) and Howie (Eckhart) are dealing with the loss in different ways. Ways that are destroying their marriage and dragging them into an abyss of nothingness. However, it's not as depressing as it sounds. At the core is healing, forgiving and a reminder that life does go on.

True Grit - Movie Review

True Grit (PG-13) 110 minutes B-
Grit-Lite

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.

With the possible exception of Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick-Ass (Hit-Girl) I might have a prejudice against actors/actresses under the age of 15 who portray roles that are intellectually and logically too mature for their age. Hailee Steinfeld is an uber-talented young actress but I'm not buying her character, 14 year-old Mattie Ross. As adorable as she may be, the too-big-for-her-britches shtick at the beginning of the film was off-putting; it took me awhile to really sink my teeth into this film.

That being said, it did get better and much more entertaining after the first 20 minutes or so. Overall the film felt a little generic and lacked some of the edginess I've come to love and expect from the Coen brothers. Not a bad outing, but perhaps a little underwhelming considering the Coen's past success and the star-studded cast (primary cast - Steinfield, Brolin, Damon, Bridges have all been nominated or have won Oscars). An entertaining film but not one that will linger afterwards.

Winter's Bone - Movie Review

Winter's Bone (R) 100 minutes B
The bone of my discontent

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey, Garret Dillahunt, Sheryl Lee, Lauren Sweetser and Tate Taylor

Because of its Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-worthy performance, Winter's Bone was re-released in theaters late in 2010. By this time I'd heard all the hype and my expectations were high. The film is good in a gritty and resilient kind of way. I'm glad the the Academy recognized such a small, blue collar indie. Yet I can't help but wonder/compare fellow Sundance darlings like 2009's Frozen River and 2004's Down to the Bone. Why didn't they receive the same notoriety? All three films are cut from the same cold, desolate cloth with the latter two films being slightly superior to Winter's Bone.

Nevertheless, you can't go wrong with any of the three aforementioned films. In Winter's Bone Jennifer Lawrence plays a tough, unbreakable 17-year old in the rural South struggling to support her little brother, sister and catatonic mother. With no money, barely any food and the looming threat of losing their home our young heroine braves dangerous territory to find her father... dead or alive.

Best Concerts of 2010

My Top Three Live Shows From The Past Year

3. Katie Herzig @ the Walnut Room - 7/8/10
2. Chris Isaak @ Arvada Center - 8/7/10
1. The Jill and Julia Show @ Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret - 6/25/10