Chicago Comic Con

On Saturday Narwold, Stuckey, Kerns and I ventured up to the Windy City to attend the Wizard World Comic Con...coverage can be found here. For those not aware a comic con is a big comic themed convention consisting of exhibitors (DC, Marvel, etc.); dealers; comic book artists and writers; aspiring/independent artists; C-level celebrities and wrestlers (Honky-Tonk Man & Iron-Sheik); and panel discussions by industry insiders.

Narwold and I have been twice before although we missed it last year because these two people got hitched. But anyway...it was cool that we had a car load this year.

A good time was had by all. I was a little disappointed that the DC booth didn't bring much to the table. In years past, they always had cool free stuff (posters or comics themselves) promoting their products and new storylines. They didn't have much this year...besides some cool buttons. Anyway...I did find some things I was looking for. I bought a Dark Knight t-shirt. I picked up another large...magazine size Batman comic from the '70's (for some reason I really like collecting those). I also got an All-Star Batman and Robin poster as well as the trade paperback collecting the first six issues of that series. Probably the coolest thing I bought was this t-shirt for my wife. (She loved it).

Hopefully the Apartment D blog will post some photos that we took... as Stuckey made it his mission to snap up photographs of the various people in costume. There's no doubt that attending a comic con has a certain level of geekiness...mainly due to the accurate perception that a large number of people will dress up as their favorite comic book character. This con was no exception. I shouldn't be too harsh (as I'm not meaning to be)...as it definitely adds to the convention going process. It's all in good fun...and people can be themselves. But it was definitely an interesting dynamic that when one asks these people for a picture they instantly go into their posing. It's automatic.

After the con, we enjoyed some delicious Chicago-style deep dish pizza from Giodano's...that we (not including Stuckey) dominated. Although we as a group did dominate the cheese-sticks...so much so that our waiter asked if we wanted another round. We declined.

All in all it made for a really enjoyable one day trip. I know I'll be looking forward to going next year as well.

Rack it.

David Letterman Likes The Dark Knight

Warner Bros. screens The Dark Knight early for David Letterman and not me...

Whatever.

Here's Dave's take for those interested (but don't worry...he doesn't give much away)...

Austin 3:16

Via the Greensburg Daily News...

Locals fans clamoring for an autograph or photo with their favorite iconic wrestler received a Stone Cold disappointment on Saturday.

According Greensburg Police Chief Brian Heaton, a visit to the city by the retired World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) icon Stone Cold Steve Austin was really an impostor looking for some cold hard cash. Originally slated to appear before the pro wrestling event at the Armory on Saturday, the look-alike Austin and his manager were able to convince the local Wal-Mart to hold an autograph signing. During the event, the phony charged fans $10 for an autograph and picture. As the fake Austin began greeting fans, Wal-Mart managers noticed something wasn’t right.
“After it had started, they suspected it to not be on the up and up,” Heaton said.
They immediately called police, Heaton said. However, when officers arrived, the fake had already split. They went to his room at the Lee’s Inn, but the charlatan wrestler had already jumped out of the ring. Officers caught up to the phony Austin’s manager at Wal-Mart, who said associates gave them permission and knew he wasn’t Austin.

“He claims Wal-Mart knew he was a look-alike. However, they had no material stating he was a look alike nor did they say he was a look alike. People thought they were getting the real deal,” Heaton said.

The phony Austin made off with an unknown amount of money from the fans. Heaton said they are continuing the investigation in conjunction with the WWE. The organization owns rights to the name “Stone Cold Steve Austin,” Heaton said, and is taking the impostor’s actions very seriously.

“They’ve had other instances of this happening,” Heaton said.
Both entities are working together and are pursuing charges of identity theft and fraud. Heaton said they had a name and a Kentucky address for the man who was playing Austin, but it had not been verified.

Heaton said this instance provides a valuable lesson.
“This was clearly a scam. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. No one did their homework. Wal-Mart didn’t, the Parks department, no one,” Heaton said.
The Chief said the whole thing had red flags, such as the car he arrived in and how arrangements were made. There was no security with Austin and no one contacted the GPD for additional security detail, which is normal when a celebrity or dignitary visits. Heaton said everyone just assumed this was the real Austin. The Parks department representatives were even promoting Austin’s visit on WTRE last week.
A call to the Parks Department seeking comment went unanswered Wednesday. Phillip Keene, a spokesperson for Wal-Mart corporate, said the incident was disappointing to everyone involved and was unsure how it happened.

“We don’t approve of our customers being solicited in our stores,” Keene said.
Keene added refunds have been made in some cases, and Wal-Mart is working to make appropriations for customers while cooperating fully with the local police department.

--Adam Huening

Favorite Beach Boys Song

So I'm watching PTI this evening and Kevin Love is the guest on Five Good Minutes. For those not aware Love played college basketball at UCLA last year. After one season, he declared himself eligible for the NBA draft--and with the draft on Thursday night--I'm guessing that's why he was on the show.

But anyway Kevin Love's uncle is Mike Love of the Beach Boys. With Tony Kornheiser being a big Beach Boys fan he had to inevitable ask Kevin what his favorite Beach Boys song is of all-time. I guess his answering wasn't too surprising (considering that he's a Bruin)......California Girls. Of course Kornheiser had to give his opinion--his favorite Beach Boys song of all time is Don't Worry Baby (which is a pretty cool choice).

Not surprisingly...this got me thinking about what my favorite Beach Boys song is.

And the answer is...

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times.

Let's see what the rest of the sector thinks...

By the way Jenny's favorite Beach Boys song is...Don't Worry Baby. You better watch it Kornheiser.

"Get Smart" movie review

This week we take a look at the latest TV show-turned movie to come out of Hollywood. Get Smart (PG-13) stars Steve Carrell in the roll of Maxwell Smart. Costars include Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, and Terrence Stamp. Peter Segal directs.

Ryan: Basing a feature film on a TV show—especially one from the late '60's—is a risky endeavor. For every The Fugitive or Starsky and Hutch there's Bewitched, Lost in Space, S.W.A.T., Dukes of Hazzard or Wild, Wild West. This is definitely not a successful sub-genre of film. But with that said, Get Smart outshines it's mostly weak counterparts. It doesn't bring anything new to the table or offer anything fresh but for a summer popcorn comedy it's not too bad. It actually reminds me of another made-for-TV spy themed movie, I-Spy. That movie was nothing to brag about but it was a mildly entertaining comedy. That's what Get Smart aspires to be and that is what it accomplishes.

Andy: Get Smart is a fun movie. There are quite a few genuinely funny moments, several entertaining moments, and the movie never really gets boring. No one aspect of it particularly shines, but there isn’t really much to complain about with Get Smart, either. With this summer’s questionable movie line up so far, Get Smart is probably the best comedy out there, though I would not count on that lasting very long.

Ryan: There's no question that Steve Carrell is in the midst of a successful TV career (as Michael on The Office) but his film career, especially from a leading man perspective—has been slightly uneven. The 40-Year Old Virgin is an instant classic and Dan in Real Life was a pretty OK movie but Evan Almighty wasn't the kind of hit movie that critics or audiences were looking for. But with Get Smart Carrell gives a pretty credible performance--as a bumbling spy that still gets results. Fans of the TV show will appreciate Carrell's inner channeling of Don Adams to bring the character of Maxwell Start alive on the silver screen.

Andy: Carrell’s abilities as a comedic actor seem like they should be very limited, but he continues to entertain in most of his performances without seeming boring or stale. He has proven that he can carry a movie, but to have a strong opening weekend at the box office in the summer in a movie that he is leading is a surprising achievement. It seemed that the novelty of Steve Carrell should have worn off by now, but it hasn’t, and Get Smart is proof of that.

Ryan: Even though Get Smart is a pretty humorous film it does have its issues. The story is completely predictable (an obvious co-star in the movie is a double agent). The action set pieces are more extravagant than I thought they would be, and they distract from the verbal zaniness that made the original Get Smart TV show such a big hit. Casting Terence Stamp as a movie villain is always a good idea but in this case he doesn't have the material to truly showcase his villainy. These shortcomings notwithstanding, Get Smart is a still suitable summer comedy.

Get Smart is nothing special, but it does contain enough laughs to be an above average summer comedy. Final grade: B-.

Rumblings from AFI's 10 top 10

Spoiler alert...if you haven't yet watched the AFI special from last week I wouldn't read this post yet.

Last Tuesday, CBS aired the latest AFI special, 10 top 10. It was a list of the top ten movies from 10 genres of the film (animation, fantasy, gangster, sports, romantic comedies, courtroom dramas, sci-fi, mystery, western and epics). I love watching shows like this and always look forward to AFI's summer specials. Although I did miss the first 45 minutes of the show and was not very happy about it.

To see the list click here.

To see the full list of the 500 films that were nominated click here. (When I reference other movies that should have made the list--in my humble opinion--they all appear on the list of 500 nominees)

Overall AFI did a more than suitable job with the selections and rankings. The sport, animation and courtroom drama lists were about spot on with how I think they should be--from an objective and personal standpoint. It's hard to argue with the fantasy list as well although from a personal standpoint I would have included Batman and Superman. But that shouldn't be too surprising. When looking at the romantic comedies I would have had The Philadelphia Story #1 and It Happened One Night #2 and the rest could have just fallen into place. Although I would have liked to see His Girl Friday make the cut. The movie still holds up quite well.

I would have slightly tweaked the western and gangster list as well. I would have chosen The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance over Stagecoach (in looking at John Ford westerns). I understand Stagecoach's historical significance but to me it's really dated. I haven't seen McCabe & Mrs. Miller or Cat Ballou so I guess I can't really comment on them although I would have loved to see The Magnificent Seven crack the list. I know I'm biased for Steve McQueen but that movie is every bit as entertaining as it was back when it was released. It doesn't feel dated. Speaking of that...I'm not sure what to make of Red River. It's a movie that I've only seen once but it seems to be popping up no matter where I look. I'm currently reading Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" book and I just recently read the entry on Red River and it makes me think I need to revisit the movie.

With the gangster list, I would have liked to see The Untouchables make the cut. Granted I haven't seen three of the films on the list (Little Ceaser, The Public Enemy and Scarface: The Shame of a Nation) so I can't definitely say that it should be on the list but it's a damn good movie.

The sci-fi category was the only category where I had seen every film that made the top ten (I'm thinking that's kind of lame for somebody who claims to be all about movies). Anyway...I loved the fact that Back to the Future made the list. That movie is just perfect for what it sets out to do. Runner-up to this category would be in order, Planet of the Apes, The Matrix, The Time Machine & Children of Men.

The category that frustrated me the most was mystery (Although I was really glad to see The Usual Suspects crack the list). It's not so much the movies that made the cut but the fact that they don't separate out the film noir movies. I love film noirs...it's probably my favorite genre of film...I guess not counting super hero movies as a genre...but anyway to me it would have made more sense to have film noir as a separate category. I know that many film noirs could be considered mysteries (The Third Man, Maltese Falcon and even Chinatown) but there's definitely a different vibe with film noirs than other mystery flicks. If you separate the categories out than you can add such nominated films as Charade, The Fugitive, Seven, LA Confidential or even The Big Legowski. Then a film noir list could be highlighted with The Third Man, The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown (all movies that made the mystery top 10). Extending that list would include other film noirs such as The Big Sleep, Touch of Evil, Double Indemnity, The Big Heat and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Pretty damn good list.

And then there's the number one movie on the mystery list...Vertigo. Sometimes I'm not sure what to make of Vertigo. It is generally regarded as one of the best films of all times. But when I watch it...I have to labor through it. But I guess sometimes that happens with great movies. 2001: A Space Odyssey and to a lesser extinct, Papillon are two other movies that are great (and good) but are not movies that one would watch over and over. I've studied Vertigo in film class...I have watched it numerous times...and when I read about great films...it always comes up but it still does resonate as powerful as some of Hitchcock's other films...like North by Northwest or Notorious. Maybe I'm just not getting it or maybe I'm trying to hard to get it. I don't really now at this point.

Let's see...I believe I've talked about every category except epics. The one two punch of Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur is exactly how I would have it. I've had the pleasure of seeing both of these movies on the big screen and it was truly a cinematic delight in both cases.

But it is interesting that when AFI did an update of the top 100 films of all time (just last year) Ben-Hur came in at number 100 while Schindler's List came in at #9. That doesn't seem consistent at first but then again Ben-Hur embodies more of the characteristics of a cinematic epic than Schindler's List. Really I would classify Schindler's List as more of a drama than an epic.

Well that's all my ranting for now.

"To Good Movies..."

Bob Sanders loves Jon McLaughlin

Thanks to this post...our little blog sector has been awoken to the phenomenon of Jon McLaughlin.

We aren't the only ones.

He's headlining the Colts Fan Fest this evening at the American Legion Park (which I'm sure was probably featured somewhere in the infamous video).

H%ll Freezes Over

Comcast (which is the cable provider that I have) and the Big Ten Network has finally hatched out a deal!

It's about freakin' time.

I know the upcoming season for IU basketball is going to be a struggle but I will at least be able to see all the games from the comfort of my own house.

The Incredible Hulk (trifecta part III)

The third movie that I watched over the weekend was The Incredible Hulk. I’ll say this…this will definitey be a more crowd-pleasing movie than the Ang Lee version--that only came out five years ago. I think I was the only person who actually liked Lee’s version (although maybe not). I just really liked his psychological take of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. I think he took a big chance in doing a super hero movie that wasn’t the standard take. Granted Nick Nolte’s performance was completely over-the-top but with that aside Lee really captured a Freudian analysis of the Hulk. In my estimation you can do the Hulk two ways—either the “smash’em up” version of the Hulk or you can get into the psyche of the Hulk in a Jekell/Hyde…Frankenstien…even a King Kong sort of that way. Obviously Lee’s version was that extreme while the new movie is more in the “Hulk Smash” sort of way.

All in all I did like this latest version as well. It’s entertaining and the CGI Hulk is much more convincing than Lee’s CGI version. Nothing against Eric Bana (who I happen to like most of the times) but Edward Norton is an upgrade. In a lot of ways this version of the Hulk is an extension of the television show. The origin is wrapped up in the opening credits (which really worked well—especially in the way it was filmed) and Banner is already on the run. They even use the “sad” music from the TV show at one point…which seemed very appropriate. The CGI fight scene at the end of the movie between the Hulk and Abomination (which justifiably had some people concerned) actually is pretty cool. It could have been completely out of hand but thankfully it wasn’t.

I think the movie would have worked better if it would have balanced both extremes of the Hulk character. It would have been nice to have the movie exist as something more than a summer popcorn action flick. What’s frustrating is that there were hints that the movie could have been deeper than it was. Certain scenes seemed trimmed just when they were getting interesting. What is also interesting is that Norton also contributed his talents to the script where I’m convinced that he probably added some substance to the script. As most people know Norton and Marvel had a little dust up over the final cut of the movie. Marvel wanted the most commercial version of the film (and after the Lee debacle—I can’t really blame him) while Norton wanted a more nuanced film (which is hard to argue against as well). It’s safe to say…that Marvel won. Consequently Norton has kept a low profile (almost non-existent) while the movie is being promoted. Although he did contribute a pretty funny short film via the Jimmy Kimmel show. To read a thorough examination of Norton vs. Marvel, click here.

If I were to give The Incredible Hulk a grade…it would be a solid B.

Peter Gammons = Renaissance Man

Gammons
by bsap11

"The Happening" movie review (Trifecta part II)

M. Night Shyamalan's latest cinematic endeavor (and first R-rated feature) is the environmental thriller, The Happening (R). Mark Walburg stars as a Philadelphia science teacher who, along with his wife (Zooey Deschanel) and his friends (John Leguizamo and Ashlyn Sanchez), try to escape from an unknown airborne virus that causes people to kill themselves.

Ryan: Since the tremendous breakthrough (both critical and commercial) that was The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan has directed five feature films. There's no doubt about it, The Happening is the worst of the lot. Even worse, his filmography has gotten progressively inferior after the success of Signs. The Village showed a lot of promise but couldn't quite deliver the knock out blow and Lady in Water seemed like an all right film when it was released but looking back on it, it has failed to resonate in any lasting manner. Knowing what I know now, I would have gladly sat through those two films again than to sit through the cinematic fiasco that is The Happening.

Andy: It’s really pretty impressive that a director who clearly has a great deal of talent could miss so completely on a movie. The basic premise and approach of the movie seems good. Something mysterious is causing people to die in huge numbers, and we see the reaction of a group of normal people who are trying to come to terms with what is happening. It is something almost everyone can relate to in the post 9/11 world. The problem is that about thirty minutes into the movie, it starts to seem really dumb for some reason.

Ryan: A disheartening aspect of the film is that it started off on the right track with an interesting premise. There's no question that Shyamalan can establish mood and create thrills with a scene. The beginning of the movie showcases this. Inexplicably, about midway through the it, the movie just becomes bland and somewhat silly at times. It's almost like Shyamalan didn't know how to end the movie or for that matter have a climax to the film. For a director known for his clever endings, The Happening has one of the most anti-climatic finales that one will ever see.

Andy: A major reason this movie doesn’t work is that the toxin(?) causes people to take their own life in elaborate ways. Instead of simply losing the will to live, people go into a trance and kill themselves, sometimes by elaborate means. This not only takes away from the believability of The Happening, it also makes certain scenes kind of amusing when they are supposed to be terrifying, and that is a bad thing for a movie that is trying to be a thriller.

Ryan: Shyamalan—here lately—has taken a beating from critics. Some is fair, but a lot of it is not. Even in this column we have defended Shyamalan's artistic merit has a director. While I still respect him as a filmmaker there's no question that he's in a funk. Now I'm not going to pretend that I know how to get him back on track. If I knew the answer to that I would be in Hollywood and not Greensburg. My point is this—Shyamalan is certainly not the first talented director to be in a creative slump (nor will he be the last). I think he just needs to get back to making movies without trying to please everybody because that notion is impossible.

Andy: It seems that Shyamalan continues to have intriguing movie ideas, but the execution is way off. In this film he even managed to make Mark Whalberg and Zooey Deschanel, both of whom I love as actors, look pretty silly and ineffective. That alone is impressively bad. I would like to see Shyamalan either produce a movie or two without writing it, or perhaps direct something he didn’t write. His do-it-all mentality has not has failed consistently enough now, that I will likely avoid his next movie.

The Happening is intriguing at times, but inexplicably falls apart. Final grade: D+.

Trifecta (Part I)

Over the weekend I did the following cinematic trifecta at the Wolf Theatre...Kung Fu Panda, The Incredible Hulk and The Happening.

First up...Kung Fu Panda

This has been something that Jenny and I had been looking forward to for quite awhile...not so much watching the movie but taking our nephews (Blaine and Kaden) to the show. We went on Friday evening and arrived at the theatre plenty early. I'm always slightly concerned when taking kids to the movie. Obviously I don't have kids...thus I'm not completely in tune to what they should be watching and also if they have the desire to sit through a motion picture in the theatre. We've taken Blaine (now age 7) twice before--Shrek 3 (which worked out pretty well) and The Bee Movie (which he struggled with). But since then Jenny's mom, Cindy, took both of them to Alvin and the Chipmunks, where the both did pretty good. Apparently the secret is to load up on popcorn, candy and drinks (in their case--Frozen Pepsi). So that's what we did....and that worked.

It's kind of funny...I've been to the Wolf so many times that I can't even accurately estimate how many times I've been there. But when it comes to buying concessions there, I'm definitely a novice. (I learned a long time ago that when you go to the movies every week it's smart not to get into the habit of buying concessions). So I'm at the counter looking at the menu like I've never been out of the house before...but ultimately I got it worked out.

Needless to say both of them did a great job. I think Blaine's old enough now where he can comfortably sit through a movie (especially a cartoon). He was on the edge of his seat for most of the movie. As for Kaden (age 4)...I'm pretty sure any cartoon could have been playing on the screen and he would have been happy. I looked over at him once and he was just chilling in his seat going to town on the tub of popcorn that was about as big as he was.

It was fun evening. We try to do as much as we can for the "boys" and we do throughly enjoy the times that we spend with them. It looks like the next movie we might take them to will be the Star Wars animated Clone Wars feature. Blaine seemed pretty excited for that when they showed the trailer for it. (At this point I'm not entirely sure what to make of it)

As for my take on Kung Fu Panda...it's a pretty good film. It's entertaining for adults as well but not an over-the-top Shrek sort of way (which is good) Kung Fu Panda is definitely a film aimed at kids but it's a good enough film that will entertain adults as well. I'm not at all sure if the part of the panda was written with Jack Black in mind but I'm guessing it was because the voice work (and personality) of Jack Black perfectly meshed with the character of the panda. Ultimately I recommend Kung Fu Panda...it's a solid animated feature.

That's it for now. I was going to go into the Hulk movie but I'm still digesting that one. As for the Happening...well...one will just have to wait until Tuesday as that is the movie that Andy and I will be reviewing.

Dirty Old Man (Rick Sutcliff)

This little tidbit is from the Cubs/Braves game a few nights ago.

Apparently Sutcliff cares more about Erin Andrews's yellow dress than he does about his own upcoming cancer treatment.

Really...I sometimes wonder why this guy is still on the air. There's no question that Erin Andrews is sexy but Sutcliff went over the line...again...thankfully he wasn't plastered this time (at least I think he wasn't).

Anger Managment

If there's one thing that I've bitched about the most in my life it's this dual notion...

the bullpen blowing the lead for Greg Maddux or Maddux not getting any offensive support (or both)

I don't think there's any question about it. For well over 15 years I've complained about this. I can't think of anything else that would even be close to this notion. This is probably not a good thing (actually I'm quite sure of that) but it is what it is.

Consequently this has not been a good year for my baseball interests at least with regard to the pitching of Greg Maddux (At leat the Cubs are playing good...but everybody knows that could change rapidly). This might be it...this might be his last season and just frustrates me that he can't buy a win at this point. For this stage in his career he is still pitching effectively and actually this year he's pitching pretty darn good. His record is an unflattering 3-4 but his ERA is 3.33 (currently 13th best in the National League).

His last six outings are as followed (all no decisions)
5 innings/2 ER
5.1 innings/1 ER (4 runs total)--Scott Hairston's error and the bullpen blew this game
6 innings/2 ER--bullpen blew this game
7 innings/1 ER
6 innings/1 ER--bullpen blew this game


I realize that not picthing deep (gnerally speaking) into games opens one up to the increased possiblities of not getting a decison. It's just been a dreadful combination of lack of run support and a unreliable bullpen. If this is his last season...I just want him to go out on a high note. He needs 5 wins to pass Roger Clemens for career victories (that would put him eighth all time) and I want to see him get that number. I just don't know if that is going to happen. And needless to say that really pisses me off.

Normally writing about something is thearaputic and normally makes me feel better but that isn't the case right now. Going back over those past starts really just makes me mad.

"You Don't Mess With The Zohan" movie review

This week we take a look at Adam Sandler’s latest creation, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (PG-13). Sandler stars as an Israeli counter-terrorist who quits the army and moves to New York to become a hair stylist. Predictably, his old life eventually finds him in the city. John Turturro costars and Dennis Dugan directs.

Ryan: I know Adam Sandler comedies continue to make money but the days of Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer are long gone (Although it should be noted that Sandler has recently made some good movies—like last year's vastly underrated, Reign Over Me). But the bottom line is that he has not made a relevant (or for that matter good or even decent) comedy in years. Unfortunately You Don't Mess With The Zohan continues that trend of extremely sub-par work.

Andy: I left Zohan a little let down and thinking that it wasn’t that great of a movie. But the more time I have to think about it, the less I like this movie. As with all comedies, there are some pretty funny moments. If you throw enough slop up on the screen, some of it will eventually stick. But the film was weak in just about every area that matters, and the acting of the lead has to be at the top of this list. For someone as talented as Sandler to repeatedly make uninspired or just plain bad movies is a little baffling.

Ryan: The biggest disappointment with the “Zohan” is that it could have been a very funny film. From the in-your-face title to the irreverent story, the movie appeared to have a Zoolander or maybe even an Anchorman-type vibe. Meaning that this is going to be a ridiculous movie but a movie that's pretty darn funny. Regrettably that is not case and I apologize for even mentioning those other two comedic gems in reference to the debacle that is You Don't Mess With The Zohan.

Andy: I think the biggest problem with Adam Sandler movies is that they allow Rob Schneider to continue to exist in Hollywood. I used to think that Schneider was just annoying, but now I’m thinking he may actually be a bad person. This is a sampling of the names of characters he’s played in Adam Sandler movies: Nazo the Italian Delivery Man, Chinese Waiter, Prince Habeeboo, and Asian Minister. And in this movie he is Palestinian cab driver, Salim. It’s embarrassing enough that he walks around representing my culture every day of his life, but to do stereotypical, imbecilic impressions of other cultures on the big screen so frequently is irresponsible and certainly not funny.

Ryan: I wasn't sure of this first but I checked and You Don't Mess With The Zohan was indeed written by professional Hollywood writers (Sandler and company). This really did surprise me because at first I thought that a group of pubescent boys who just slammed a case of Red Bull actually wrote the script. I can handle toilet humor and sex jokes but when that's all a movie has to offer than that's not a good sign. Stupid movies can be either stupid-good or stupid-bad and there's absolutely no question that the “Zohan” falls into the latter.

Andy: The concept of this movie did seem to have potential, but Ryan is right. The writing is simply awful. The story itself ends up being amazingly boring, and most of the gags are tired by one hour in. Perhaps if you had the ability to not think at all about what you are watching, Zohan would be pretty funny. But the more consideration this movie gets, the worse it seems.

You Don’t Mess With the Zohan falls short on just about every level. Sandler fans would be better off avoiding this one. Final grade: D.

Gas Creek's Revenge

I woke up this morning around 8:00 mainly because I think the thunder woke me up. At that time it wasn't doing a whole lot outside and it looked like it hadn't rained much over night (which I thought it was going to--at least according to the local news).

Then around nine...Jenny called me from Terre Haute (where she's currently at this weekend because it's the state track and field meet for Special Olympics and she's one of the track and field coaches)...well anyway...she said it rained all night there and that they had received over 10 inches of rain...and that everything was just a big mess. Interstate 70 was closed (and it sill might be as of this post). She also wanted to know if the storm was moving into the Greensburg area. I just stated that it was raining but that was about it.

It wasn't soon after that...that it just cut loose and by 10:00 it was just pouring. At that point I decided to go and check the barn (Duane was in Indy giving an estimate). When a building's 81 years old...chances are their might be some problems. Anyhow...I went and checked things out.

Ultimately I stayed there until 11:30...things weren't bad but I just wanted to stick around to monitor the situation. After I left that barn I went to Huber's to get some ham salad for lunch. Well there were closed. And I decided to go and get some Taco Bell. Unfortunately Fourth and Ireland was impassable because of the continuing rain (Things were a little worse than what I had suspected). I thought to myself...maybe I should just go home. It became apparent that was going to be slightly more challenging than I thought. First and Lincoln was also impassable as were North and Lincoln and Washington and Lincoln So I just cut through north east street and hit 421 and double-backed to Vine Street.

It didn't quit raining until 2:00 this afternoon. But the remnants are still there. Here's some pics that I took later on in the afternoon. The last time I saw water that high in Greensburg was in the summer of 1995 (or '96). It was one or the other.

The playground behind the Junior High





Behind the Armory


The intersection of Lincoln and Washington



The view of heading south on Lincoln

Stop the Drama. . . Vote for Obama

I know it's not breaking news at this point but Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee...thus making some significant history.

HOORAY!

I feel that I should be more excited but I think I'm just so mentally exhausted from the primary season that I'm more relieved at this point than fist-pumping excited. I look for that to change once it really sits in that Obama is one more step closer to being president.

Thankfully, Clinton is suspending her campaign (this Friday) thus ending the madness...in my opinion.

Yes We Can!

"Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" movie review

Since neither of us are big enough Sex in the City Fans to be able to say anything constructive about the movie, we decided to mix things up a bit and take a look at a movie that's been hovering in the top ten at the box office for a number of weeks and which also just arrived at our local theater. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (R) finds the stoner duo (John Cho and Kal Penn) in a load of new trouble after they are mistakenly arrested for being terrorists.

Ryan: We never reviewed the original, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, but like most people we discovered its comedic flair on DVD. I wasn't expecting much when I watched it and was pleasantly surprised at how funny it truly was. It didn't break any comedic ground. It was just a really funny film, which in itself is normally enough for a comedy. Unfortunately so goes the fate of most comedic sequels, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay fails to capture the charm and more importantly the laughs of the first feature film.

Andy: It was probably pretty easy to see the letdown of this movie coming; it’s clear in the title. From a comedic standpoint, going to Whitecastle is a whole lot funnier that escaping from Guantanamo Bay or going to Amsterdam (the film’s original title). The film wastes little time in proving that point, as the Guantanamo Bay sequence is one of the weakest ones in the movie. Furthermore, most of the political-based humor the movie attempts falls flat. Luckily there are still enough funny moments for the movie to be watchable.

Ryan: The first movie was loaded with cinematic ridiculousness but it still worked. It doesn't work as well in this latest film mainly because the ridiculousness has been too amped up. Centering the film around the idea of sending the duo to Guantanamo Bay isn't really funny nor does it make for an intriguing comedic storyline. Furthermore a lot of the gags as well as the plot are too predictable and just too silly to buy into.

Andy: Harold and Kumar make sure they earn the R-rating the film carries with a near endless stream crass jokes and situations. That is not always a bad thing, but often it seemed like jokes were put into the movie because it was going to be rated R, rather than because they were funny or the advanced the story, or they enriched the characters. This is frequently the case with cheap comedies. If they throw enough gags out there, everyone will find a few of them funny. The fact that the movie usually suffers for it is something that doesn’t seem to matter too much.

Ryan: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is definitely not the worst comedic sequel of all time (anybody remember Weekend at Bernie's 2—I hope not). It does have some laugh-out-loud moments and some funny one-liners. But the most important aspect of the movie is the fact that two young minority movie stars can successfully (from a financial standpoint with this particular film) be the leading men in a comedic vehicle. That is definitely significant because even though Hollywood is a liberal place those liberal notions do not always trickle down.

Andy: This is not a bad movie, but it lacks much of the charm of the first one. Without that charm it comes across a kind of a run-of-the-mill R-rated comedy. At times you’ll laugh, at times you’ll be annoyed, at times you’ll be bored. And it is safe to say that without the familiarity of the characters from the first film, this one would likely have been a flop.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay fails to live up to the standard of the first film, but it does contain enough laughs to warrant a C-.

Iron Head

I know I was somewhat dogging the MTV Movie Awards just a few posts ago but I ended up watching about 30 minutes of it last night. And in that span I caught two things that were pretty cool.

The first was a video with Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. In the video the three of them are hashing out a viral video campaign for their new movie, Tropic Thunder. It's pretty funny stuff. The end is a bit ridiculous but I just love the mock-movie poster in the video.

Secondly Coldplay performed their latest single, Viva La Vida. I know Coldplay straddles that line of being "cool" or "too cool for school" but I still like them and really dig the new tune.




Actually I was just thinking that I hope Coldplay follows the career path of U2 and not Oasis. This is an important release for Coldplay because this is their follow up to the album that was released after their breakthrough album and this is normally a make or break situation. A Rush of Blood to the Head was Coldplay's breakthrough album (in the US). The follow up, X & Y, wasn't quite up to par with A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Look at U2. Their big break was War and the follow up to that was The Unforgettable Fire. The Unforgettable Fire is certainly a good album but it didn't sell as well as War and is critically not considered to be on it's level either. But they followed The Unforgettable Fire with The Joshua Tree...and the rest is history.

Oasis's breakthrough album was (What's the Story) Morning Glory? The follow up to that was the hit and miss effort Be Here Now. Again...it didn't sell as well and was critically considered a step back from the Morning Glory album. The followed that up with (and I had to look this up--so what does that say for a person who still claims to be an Oasis fan) Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. And the rest is history.

Initially it looks to me that Coldplay is on the right path.

New Math

I am so over the Hillary Clinton campaign.

As many of you know the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee agreed to sit the formerly estranged Florida and Michigan delegation albeit with only half the vote.

I think it was a pretty good compromise. The walked a fine line of upholding the rules while not disenfranchising the voters (that they will need this fall). Obviously it didn't make everyone happy--mainly most Clinton supporters.

I watched it off-and-on on Saturday. I couldn't handle watching it at most times. There was zero culpability from the Clinton supporters from Florida and Michigan admitting that those states violated the rules. Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules.

But regardless what really pisses me off is the Clinton Machine. They will spin...twist...and and spin some more to make the truth as they see fit. Clinton apologist Howard Ickes was on Meet the Press the morning. He's the idiot...I mean person...that alluded to this going all the way to the convention at the end of the DNC committee meeting on yesterday. Tim Russert hit him pretty hard on the fuzzy math that they are using on this "popular vote argument" that they are making to Super Delegates.



Not only does that bother me but this idea that the popular vote entitles one to the nomination is ludicrous. (It's the delegates, stupid). It's hard to ascertain (if not impossible) popular vote numbers from caucus states. Plus it's complete lunacy to count the Michigan vote for Clinton when Obama wasn't even on the freakin' ballot I'm just so sick of the Clinton spin. Now I know that all politicians spin things but the Clinton's are a master of it and I for one am over it...as I believe that a lot of people are. Now I'm not naive...I know that if Obama gets to the White House that he's not going to change the nature of politics in Washington...but damn if he just gets rid of the "bullshit" than that will be at least be a start and be something positive.

I like to think that once Obama gets to the magic number of 2118, which I believe he will sometime next week, Clinton will exit the race in a graceful manner. But there's no guarantee of that. And that further frustrates me...because the longer this drags on...the harder it's going to be to unite the party.