The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - Movie Review

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (R) 106 minutes B-
Denzel saves the day... and this film.

Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, and James Gandolfini

We pretty much know how a movie like this will end, the question is all the stuff that brings us to that point. People complain that some films (like this one) are too predictable, yet it's the kiss of death when a filmmaker makes a film in which the bad guys win.

So here we have a chunky Denzel Washington as an understated New York City subway dispatcher. I sense that he's suppose represent many of us who are trying to survive that rat race in these competitive and complicated times. While John Travolta represents the thinking man's bad guy... the Bernie Madoff type with a gun.

The film is entertaining and suspenseful even though we can all figure out how it'll end. But I also found it a little too slick at times and a little annoying with it's MTVish type production that goes for the wow factor over good old fashion grit.

This isn't a bad film though, it's what I would call a "popcorn movie". It's nothing that will stick with me after I leave the cineplex, but it was entertaining and worthy of a cold beverage and a buttery small popcorn.

2009's Best In Film & Music so far...

Every year on or around my birthday I bring you the best in films & music for the first half of the year... So with no further ado here are my picks for 2009 so far... Enjoy!

Best Films
1. The Girlfriend Experience
It's not a film that everyone can or will appreciate, but it's the only film I've seen this year that I would have paid money to see twice (in the theater).

2. He's Just Not That Into You
The critics generally panned this film but call me crazy, I liked it... a lot.

3. Adventureland
Young love is often the purest, this is a charming film that's totally worthwhile.

4. State of Play
A really good adult drama about sex, politics and journalism.

5. Two Lovers
Joaquin Phoenix's curtain call and a refreshing (albeit odd) romantic drama.

Best Albums


1. AC Newman - Get Guilty
Catchy, consistent, and interesting from beginning to end.

2. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
This would be number one if J sang every song on the album... but it's still damn good!

3. Jill Sobule - The California Years
An honest album by a true underdog, the best album of her career.

4. Indigo Girls - Poseidon And The Bitter Bug
A very listenable album that sounds better and better each time.

5. Duncan Sheik - Whisper House
Underneath the catchy hooks and boyish good looks is a talented and underrated dark spirit.

Away We Go - Movie Review

Away We Go (R) 97 minutes C
Away We Go feels like a familiar trip

Starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Schneider

Away We Go is an ambitious film about love and couplehood that falls short of originality and real substance. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are very likable on screen but I didn't find them necessarily believable. Their aloof and whimsical love affair is one to be admired (to a certain extinct) yet unfortunately this outing felt like a generic collage of several hip films within the genre.

Away We Go is an interesting film fully capable of keeping your attention throughout even though it tries a little too hard to be "different" and cool (note how the introspective music kicks in at all the opportune moments begging the audience for compassion). Performances by Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chris Messina and Jeff Daniels, all talented actors/actresses are wasted. Their characters are contrived and cliche, the slow subtlety of the film leaves their dialogue hanging like bad punchlines.

I know it sounds like I'm ripping on this film but it does have some redeeming qualities. It is worth seeing at one of the second run/discount movie houses in your area, I was disappointed but that's partly because I had such high expectations.

Michael Jackson 8/29/58 - 6/25/09

My Top 10 Favorite Singles by the King of Pop
10. Say Say Say w/ Paul McCarthy (1983)
9. Who Is It (1992)
8. Billie Jean (1982)
7. She's Out Of My Life (1980)
6.Smooth Criminal (1988)
5. They Don't Care About Us (1996)
4. Dirty Diana (1988)
3. In the Closet (1991)
2. Scream (1995)
1. Human Nature (1983)

Wilco Continues to Lose Their Summerteeth

Wilco - Wilco (The album) C+

Ok, I'm giving the new Wilco album the benefit of the doubt. I've listened to it several times and at first I thought it was pretty good. But after a few repeated listens I think it's kind of boring. So I'm thinking (hoping) it'll click with me after I shelve it for a few days and come back to it. Bull Black Nova is an awesome song and a definite standout, I also like the first track, Wilco (the song). But otherwise I'm wondering if Wilco is becoming the new Steely Dan (no offense). I'm starting to like Son Volt better than these guys, and that's something I never thought possible.

Dinosaur Jr Goes Farming

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm A-

I own a total of 8 Dinosaur Jr/J Mascis albums and this one is my new favorite. Farm is a pleasant surprise even though it shouldn't be. Their last album, 2007's Beyond was good but it didn't leave me eagerly anticipating a new album. Yet this one grabbed me from the first song of the first listen. It has more hooks than a Bass Pro Shop, and J's lazy vocal delivery coupled with his signature slacker lyrics are unmatched.

The Hangover - Movie Review

The Hangover (R) 100 minutes B
Four dudes blackout in Vegas...

Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, and Jeffrey Tambor

I have to give props to The Hangover because even though the trailer looked funny, I couldn't imagine how they were going to put a new twist on an old formula. Essentially I thought this would turn out to be nothing more than the sequel to Very Bad Things (a 1998 film starring Jon Favreau, Christian Slater and Jeremy Piven).

But after numerous people told me how good this film was I had to see for myself. It's not as good as some of the previous (summer) comedy blockbusters (aka- Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, and The 40 Year Old Virgin) but it is a funny and entertaining film about four dues who blackout in Vegas and can't remember what happened the night before. It's a wild ride and worth seeing on the big screen.

Fragments Found Inside Me (A Book Review)

Some Ether by Nick Flynn A

Some Ether is Nick Flynn's debut collection of poetry, winner of the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award (1999), and an astounding work of beauty wrapped in a ball of pain.

Flynn takes us on a journey through his childhood- divorce parents, a troubled mother, strange men, and his mother's suicide. Pretty dark stuff, but written with a sense of enlightenment. The way he recalls these memories is so poetic and honest, it's what I hope to achieve every time I write but I'm nowhere near as graceful.

After I read the first poem in this collection, Bag of Mice, I was hooked. Check it out...

I dreamt your suicide note
was scrawled in pencil on a brown paperbag,
& in the bag were six baby mice. The bag
opened into darkness,
smoldering
from the top down. The mice,
huddled at the bottom, scurried the bag
across a shorn field. I stood over it
& as the burning reached each carbon letter
of what you'd written
your voice released into the night
like a song, & the mice
grew wilder.

Tyson - Movie Review

Tyson (R) 90 minutes B
The Rise and Fall of Iron Mike

Once upon a time Mike Tyson was the most dominant boxer I had ever seen, he possessed the talent and the tools to be the greatest of all time. But unfortunately he couldn't keep his demons at bay and soon the most celebrated fighter in the world became the most disgraced athlete in sports.

Tyson, a new documentary by James Toback follows the once coveted fighter from his childhood on the mean streets of Brooklyn, to a broken adult desperately searching for peace and tranquility. This polarizing film documents his rise to the top, scandals, vulnerabilities and humility. It's an inspiring, funny, and sad journey through the life of a troubled man and a prime example of why it's so important to stay humble; fame and fortune doesn't always last forever (especially when your greatest weaknesses are sex, drugs and living like a king).

There is no doubt that Iron Mike has learned a lot of hard lessons, it's just unfortunate that he had to learn them the hard way.

The Girlfriend Experience - Movie Review

The Girlfriend Experience (R) 78 minutes A
Sex and the Human Condition

Starring Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Glenn Kenney, and Peter Zizzo

The Girlfriend Experience is the most intriguing film I’ve seen in 2009 so far. It’s directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by the same two guys who wrote Oceans Thirteen (which is amazing because the two films are polar opposites).

I saw The Girlfriend Experience several days ago and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. The film follows Chelsea (Sasha Grey), an upscale Manhattan escort who provides the ultimate "girlfriend experience (gfe)" to her clients. Simply put, time spent with Chelsea is like time spent with a girlfriend, albeit, one who has no sexual inhibitions and will cost you a cool $2000.00 a night.

Chelsea caters to successful businessmen in varies fields, she goes on dates to the museum, the movies, expensive dinners, but mostly listens to the men complain about politics, their jobs and the economy. Sex isn't always on the agenda, sometimes her clients just want to feel adored and listened to.

The film is set in New York City shortly before the 2008 Presidential election. This adds an interesting element to the film because there's a sense of panic over the economy and in stressful times there's no better escape than the solace of sex, beauty, passion and companionship- it's human nature and Chelsea delivers.

The other masterstroke of genius in this film is Soderbergh's casting of Sasha Grey, a real life porn star who has acted in over 100 porn films. She is absolutely brilliant in this role giving it authenticity, her character is very believable as she projects sex as strictly business. I'm not sure if she could act in a more traditional film but here she is completely captivating.

The Girlfriend Experience is definitely not for everyone, perhaps it's more of a niche film. But I loved it and would pay money to see it again; there's not a lot of films I can say that about these days.