"The Soloist" Movie Review

This week we watched the Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr. film The Soloist (PG-13). Based on actual events, Downey plays newspaper man Steve Lopez, who befriends a troubled and brilliant former Julliard student (Foxx) now living on the streets of LA. Catherine Keener costars and Joe Wright directs.

Ryan: The Soloist was originally prepped to be released last winter in time to be considered for the Oscars. This isn't too surprising considering that it has all the bait to be an Academy Award contender—past Oscar winner and nominee as the leads, a young up-and-coming director that has already been recognized by the Academy and most importantly it's a biopic. Strangely enough its release got pushed (some would say dumped) into the spring time. When this happens, it is never a good sign. But with that said, The Soloist is not an Oscar worthy film but it is a decent film.

Andy: It was probably wise to hold off on the soloist until now, as it would have certainly been lost in the shuffle last December. But now it is a nice alternative to what’s available in theatres. That said, the Soloist features some big shortfalls and some great moments, making it both intriguing and frustrating at the same time. Ultimately it comes across as a little formulaic, especially in the context of its early Oscar dreams.

Ryan: The biggest shortcoming with The Soloist is its aspirations to be an important, potentially award winning film. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the filmmakers having grandiose ideas but for a film to reach those aspirations the results have to be awe inspiring. With The Soloist that is not the case. Granted there are some heartfelt moments in the film but for the most part the movie lacks dramatic resonance. It's almost like the director, Wright, had a checklist of what makes a movie great and subsequently worked to check everything off that list to include in the film. Needless-to-say this isn't what happened but it feels that way and that significantly hinders the movie.

Andy: Wright showed some signs of being a top-level director with 2007’s Atonement. I didn’t like that film, but much of what Wright did cinematically was worth noting. Unfortunately, that is not what happened here. He had many choices that seemed risky, including musical sequences with just splotches of color on the screen, as well as flashback sequences that seemed awkward at best (Jamie Foxx playing a college-aged Julliard student). But unlike in Atonement, when some of the risky choices worked brilliantly, none of his risks really paid off. What really carries this movie is the performance of the two leads.

Ryan: While Wright struggled with the film's structure he was able to elicit solid performances by the two leads. Downey Jr. is on a role (Zodiac, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder) and he continues his strong work here by delivering a noteworthy performance. Foxx also does an admirable job in making Nathaniel Ayers more than just a sympathetic character. The audience is clearly pulling for the guy but Foxx makes him a more well-rounded character than just another cinematic caricature. There's no question that it is the performances by Downey Jr. and Foxx that makes The Soloist a watchable film.

Andy: Downey Jr. and Foxx are both at the top of their game. Foxx has the beefier role, while Downey’s was probably more difficult to play. Both of them do what they have to do in order to give their characters depth, and it is their relationship that carries the film along. Fortunately, watching two of the best in the game practicing their craft keeps The Soloist worth watching.

The Soloist has many flaws, but the performances carry it to a B-.

NFL draft, the aftermath

I know...I know...back to back posts on the NFL draft...how exciting. But I was pretty satisfied with what the Colts did this weekend.

The taking of a RB in the first round was receiving a lot of scrutiny today (thank you Indy sports talk radio) but I think taking Donald Brown was a solid movie.

One...the rushing attack last season was non existent. A lot of that can be placed on an offensive line that was often injured (Saturday, Lilja & Diem--who didn't play all year) and inexperienced with rookies. Nonetheless we were second to last in rushing and in the playoffs we were unable to pick up a key third and two that might have sealed the game. So clearly something was needed to improve on that. This doesn't mean that Addai is out or on his way out...all it means is that now we have two solid running backs. Since the current NFL seems to be a two back league than it makes sense to have two solid RB's. As Polian mentioned...this movies also helps Addai in that it extends his career as he doesn't have to carry the load himself. I was pretty hard on Addai last year because it looked at times that he didn't know what was going on but maybe this will also give him a little kick to the pants that he needs to step it up, which I think he is capable of. Plus...running back is the one position where a rooking can come right in and contribute. With the Colts being a perennial playoff team, than it is a must that a first round pick has to contribute from day one.

Second...they addressed the need for a defensive tackle in round 2 (Fili Mioala) and in round 4 with Terrance Taylor. Mioala was a great pick in round 2 and he might start from the get go. And Taylor provides depth at a position where they needed a lot of depth. I was somewhat surprised that they didn't address the DT problem in round one but when you look at the totality of the draft than it makes sense why they took a RB in round one.

I also liked the Austin Collie--WR pick. It sounds like this guy is will be a prototypical slot receiver. The assumption going into the draft was that we needed a replacement for Harrison. Well here's the thing...we already have his replacement...it's Reggie Wayne. And Wayne's replacement...that's Anthony Gonzalez. For some reason everybody thinks that Gonzalez is predetermined to be a slot WR--maybe because he's white and he reminds everyone of Brandon Stokely but the fact remains that Gonzo prefers to be on the outside and when he's been on the outside he's been very productive--like when Marvin was hurt two years ago. Clearly the thought was to draft a slot guy and Collie fits the bill.

And we also drafted Curtis Painter so that should make the boiler boys happy.

I promise this is the last post about the NFL draft.

NFL Draft = Absurdity

It's that time of year that completely drives me crazy...the NFL draft. For those not aware the NFL draft is this weekend. I figure most sports fans know this since ESPN has been up-chucking over themselves for the past several months. Go figure...the ridiculousness continues to build this week as the draft inches closer and closer.

I realize that the NFL draft has become an event...really almost on par to anything else the NFL does (except for the Super Bowl--but sometimes I'm not sure) and maybe my problem with the draft is not so much the draft itself but what it has become. It isn't just ESPN (but they have the monopoly on sports so they are going to get much of the blame) it's just the incessant coverage by the sports media. The "analysis" and endless discussion of the what team X is going to do or where player Y is going to go just drives me crazy. What's the point of predicting the draft when there's absolutely no reflection (or consequence) to the endless banter and conversation. I never hear how draft gurus (like Mel Kiper or Todd McShay) actually do with their predictions. And furthermore nobody and I mean nobody knows how well these specific draft picks are going to perform. That's the complete lunacy about it. It's all speculation. That's it. It's nauseating. Sometimes I think it isn't even newsworthy.

But with all that said here's my prediction on the Colts first round pick (yes..who the Colts pick is the only thing I care about with regard to the draft)...

I'm still convinced that the Colts are going to take a wide receiver in the first round. Bill Polian's track record in first round is drafting offensive skill players and I think that will continue here. But I'm not sure who they are going to take. I would take Percy Harvin (Florida). His explosiveness would help out in the kicking game--which we never have and also provide us with a deep threat--that is lacking in our offense. But Harvin has some drama surrounding him so instead they might take Hakeem Nicks (UNC), Brian Robiskie (Ohio State), Kenny Britt (Rutgers) or Darrius Heyward-Bey (Maryland).

But...if Peria Jerry (Mississippi) or Evander Hood (Missouri)--both defensive tackles--are still on the board than--I think--it would be hard to pass up drafting one of these skilled defensive tackles. I think every Colts fan knows that we need help at defensive tackle.

Here's what I think the Colts might do. If Hood and Jerry are off the board than they will draft a WR...if one of them is left ( I don't think both of them will be) than I think they will select one of them and then maybe trade up in the second round and draft Robiskie (because I think taking him in the first round is a stretch).

With apologizes to Kiper...that's my draft analysis.

"State of Play" Movie Review

This week we'll be taking a look at the investigative reporter/political thriller, State of Play (PG-13). Russel Crowe stars as an investigative newspaper reporter who along with gossip blogger Rachel McAdams attempt to piece together the mystery surrounding the tragic death of a Washington aide. Ben Affleck, Robin Wright Penn, Hellen Mirren and Jason Bateman round out the cast. Kevin Macdonald directs.

Ryan: State of Play harkens back to the those investigative journalist movies of the '70's where the protagonist(s) attempt to unravel a vast conspiracy that threatens some part of the American fabric. Viewed in that context State of Play succeeds as a modern day political thriller. It's a relatively smart film that's well-acted and well-paced. The movie doesn't attempt to say more than it should and that helps it in being a plausible film.

Andy: I enjoyed this film much more than I expected to. The film takes what seems like it is going to be a ridiculous and messy conspiracy piece but makes it just believable enough to keep the audience involved. It remains character-driven enough to seem realistic, but does not skimp on scenes of suspense and intrigue. Director Kevin Macdonald deserves much of the credit for holding the movie together. This should not be too much of a surprise, as Macdonald previously honed his craft directing 2006’s “The Last King of Scotland.”

Ryan: State of Play follows the pattern of journalistic thrillers in that the story is constantly twisting and turning and there are plenty of curve balls thrown in to keep the audience guessing. The strategy works to a point but also undermines the film's narrative. Don't get me wrong, the movie does not unravel but it comes awfully close to teetering over the edge into ludicrousness. What helps to ground the movie, for the most part, is the film's well-regarded cast. Leading the way is Crowe. As opposed to some of his other movies it actually looks like he is having a good time with this one and that's refreshing.

Andy: I thought the plot held itself up fairly well until the end. The screenwriters got a little greedy and threw in perhaps one twist too many. The result is that the movie that was otherwise solid leaves a bit of a bad taste in the audience’s mouth. Fortunately, as Ryan mentioned, the cast is so strong that it is able to overcome most of the other shortcomings. Crowe is the star here, but Affleck carries his star-power well, and McAdams is adequately charming in the female lead. And when you can have Academy Award winner Helen Mirren in a small role and nominee Viola Davis is a bit part, you know you have a solid cast. Also worth mentioning is Jason Bateman, who appears to be having a blast in his cameo.

Ryan: There's a subplot in State of Play where the (fictional) newspaper that Crowe is employed at is being purchased by a global multi-media corporation. There are several snippets of dialogue—mainly between Crowe and Mirren—on the state of the newspaper industry. Not surprisingly the take in the film reflects the current decline of the newspaper industry in the United States. There's no doubt that the movie is arguing that if the newspaper business becomes extinct (or less relevant) then we as a society will lose an important cog in our democratic process. In a lot of ways the film plays as a swan song to the significance of the newspaper business.

Andy: The newspaper aspect of the story gives the movie a balance from the corporate conspiracy that helps keep it afloat as well. The dichotomy between Crowe’s grizzled reporter and McAdams’s bright-eyed blogger works well, allowing the film to comment on several social issues without seeming awkward.

State of Play is a more than adequate thriller that is able to overcome some of its shortcomings to earn a B.

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile

This video is more amusing than outright funny but I do respect Lohan for making fun of herself.

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

Influential Films

Turner Classic Movies recently unveiled their list of the 15 most influential films of all time.

This is from their website...

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1. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)

The Hollywood blockbuster was born in 1915. During a time when it seemed as if Europe had the monopoly on the feature film, D.W. Griffith struck out to make an epic that would help define American cinema. All of the technical developments he had helped create came together to maximum effect, teaching future directors, from Sergei Eisenstein to David Lean to James Cameron, how to combine detailed narrative with the sweep of history. At the same time, The Birth of a Nation is one of the greatest outrages in film history. Part of a campaign against interracial marriage, the film introduced many of the destructive stereotypes of black men and women that were perpetuated by Hollywood for decades. Its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan triggered riots in some cities -- and helped the organization's membership campaigns as it revived in strength following the Leo Frank lynching. The protests put the then young NAACP on the map, while the film also inspired the early work of African-American filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux. Even today, The Birth of a Nation provides one of the most vivid examples of film's power to inflame and propagandize.

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2. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (1925)

Spoofed, referenced and copied in dozens of films, the “Odessa Steps” sequence from BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN may be the most influential scene in film history. Drawing on the montages in D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance, Sergei Eisenstein created mini-narratives, repeated shots of specific characters and groups, to humanize his story. His technique is so convincing most viewers think that the scene reflects an actual historical event (it's an amalgam of several attacks on the actual protesters). Filmmakers ever since have used the same tools to give personal meaning to epic scenes. And everybody from Woody Allen (Bananas) to Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) has borrowed details from it for their own films. Eisenstein’s greatest legacy was to demonstrate to future filmmakers how to use montage to promote an agenda. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels was so impressed by this Soviet film, that he encouraged using their techniques to terrible effect in anti-Semitic movies. The Germans also banned the film, as did censors in England, France and Spain. In capitalist Hollywood, film moguls showed it to employees to teach them how to edit, even though they would have fired anyone trying to mirror Eisenstein's revolutionary message.

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3. METROPOLIS (1927)

Arguably the most influential science fiction film ever made, Metropolis has inspired everything from video games to rock videos to comic books. Its futuristic sets helped spread the popularity of art deco, while the gadget-filled lab of mad scientist Rotwang has become a sci-fi staple. Eugene Schufftan's special effects work set new standards for the craft. And Gottfried Huppertz' original music, with leitmotifs for key characters and themes, was one of the first modern motion picture scores. Beyond its technical and design influences, Metropolis virtually invented the genre of dystopian science fiction on screen: the creation of bleak visions of a future still afflicted with contemporary problems has become the heart of numerous films. The plot, created by director Fritz Lang and his screenwriter-wife Thea von Harbou, revolves around class struggle, anticipating decades of dangerous visions in the struggle to define humanity. The film's dehumanized laborers are the spiritual ancestors of the affectless astronauts in 2001: A Space Odyssey as much as the villainous, sexy Robot Maria would give birth to the runaway replicants in Blade Runner and the tragically human Cylons of Battlestar Galactica.

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4. 42ND STREET (1933)

Although the form had helped launch the talkies, by 1933, musicals were box office poison. Too many numbers shot as if on stage, shoehorned into contrived plots had driven off audiences. Visionary producer Darryl F. Zanuck had the idea for a backstage story that would capture the effect of the Depression on hard-working chorus girls. And he was smart enough to put Busby Berkeley in charge of the dance routines. His dizzying geometric patterns and dazzling camera movements revitalized the genre and saved Warner Bros. from bankruptcy. 42nd Street’s success would lead to two decades of great movie musicals. It also became the yardstick against which all backstage musicals would be measured, providing plot elements for later films starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Doris Day and even Twiggy (in The Boyfriend).

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5. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)

When Clark Gable removed his shirt to reveal a bare chest, undershirt sales plummeted around the country, and bus travel rose in popularity. Such was the impact of this surprise hit. More important to director Frank Capra, the film nobody wanted to star in (after being turned down by several actresses, he had to offer Claudette Colbert twice her usual salary) established him as a major filmmaker and elevated Columbia Pictures from Poverty Row status to major film studio. When It Happened One Night became the first comedy to win a Best Picture Oscar® and the first film to sweep the five top awards, Hollywood started taking comedy more seriously. With its rapid banter and outrageous comic situations, It Happened One Night became the prototype for the screwball comedies that flourished through the '30s. And it made the road trip sexy, as When Harry Met Sally and The Sure Thing would prove again in later years. Its influence even reached the world of animation, where the fast-talking masher who comes on to Colbert and Gable's rapid delivery of one-liners while eating a carrot provided inspiration for Bugs Bunny.

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6. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)

Without Snow White, there would be no Pixar. No Snow White, no anime, no Shrek, no Cartoon Network. It's as simple as that. "Disney's Folly" was the name most Hollywood insiders gave Walt Disney's dream of producing the U.S.' first animated feature. Of course, nobody in Hollywood could have realized what a perfectionist Disney was. With convincing human animation, creative character design for the seven dwarfs, Technicolor and the use of a multiplane camera to create the illusion of depth, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs didn't just look better than any previous Disney film. It looked better than most major studio productions. Little wonder it would become the U.S.' top grossing film until Gone With the Wind supplanted it two years later. But there was a price for success. For better or worse, Snow White set U.S. animation in pursuit of a more realistic look for decades to come. For Walt Disney, that meant a string of triumphs, as he personally produced 18 more animated features, including such classics as Dumbo and Bambi. For more surrealistic animators like Max Fleischer and Ub Iwerks, it meant adapting to the new style. Iwerks, who had created Mickey Mouse, eventually returned to Disney to work on integrating animation with live-action footage on Song of the South and other films.

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7. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

If one film epitomizes the Hollywood blockbuster, it's Gone With the Wind. Made in Hollywood's annus mirabilis, 1939, it remains the most popular film of a sterling crop. Not only has it sold more tickets than any other American made film, but with its box-office adjusted for inflation, it remains the highest-grossing film of all time. Something in the tale of the Southern belle fighting to save her beloved Tara has struck a chord for generations of audiences, from the U.S. of World War II to post-war Europe to Japan in the '80s. Scarlett O' Hara has inspired a legion fiery females caught in the sweep of history, like Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain and Kate Winslet in Titanic. Gone With the Wind is the definitive producer's film. David O. Selznick defied conventional wisdom to purchase the rights to Margaret Mitchell's novel, personally supervised every detail of the film and spearheaded three years of publicity to raise public interest to a fever pitch. He spent the rest of his life trying -- and failing -- to top it. And decades of Hollywood blockbusters have drawn on his work to create and sell romantic dreams writ large on the screen.

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8. STAGECOACH (1939)

Stagecoach would not only herald the birth of an American icon, John Wayne, but also the revival of one of the Hollywood's greatest genres. 1939 was marked by a number of A-budget Westerns. But it was Stagecoach that coupled depth of character with hard-riding action to remind audiences that the winning of the West was more than just popcorn fodder. In the hands of a great director, it could reflect the dreams and conflicts behind the building of a nation. Director John Ford created a film that did just that, crafting a legendary tale of the battle to tame a frontier represented by both rampaging Apaches and Wayne's untamed Ringo Kid. And, along the way, he discovered his perfect location: the majestic Monument Valley. The failure of Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930 had relegated its leading man, Wayne, and the Western genre to poverty row. Almost a decade later, Ford couldn't get a single major studio to finance Stagecoach, eventually turning to independent producer Walter Wanger, who didn't want to cast Wayne. The film's unexpected success influenced not just the rise of the Western, but filmmakers of every genre. While shooting Citizen Kane, Orson Welles screened Ford's classic over 40 times to learn how to put a film together. Ultimately, Stagecoach would set the mold for the Western genre, re-telling the American myth over and over again in the coming decades.

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9. CITIZEN KANE (1941)

When Orson Welles arrived at RKO Pictures to make his first feature film, he crowed, "This is the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!" It could have been the battle cry for generations of enfants terribles. Welles' (nearly) total control of Citizen Kane paved the way for a director-centric cinema that has produced some of the screen's greatest achievements and worst excesses. Gregg Toland's deep-focus photography and the use of directional sound and overlapping dialogue made Citizen Kane the first film to let the audience see and hear as they did in the real world. And the fragmented story-telling -- with Charles Foster Kane's life presented as a mosaic of different viewpoints-- left viewers to put the pieces together like one of Susan Alexander Kane's giant jigsaw puzzles. It was a technique that would influence numerous other films, from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Part II to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Welles' playful eye brought together unconventional filmmaking techniques that would raise him to uncharted terrain as a director with a freedom he would never again enjoy.

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10. THE BICYCLE THIEF (1947)

The movies returned to the streets, where they had begun in the pioneering works of the Lumieres and D.W. Griffith, with this 1949 masterpiece. Shot on real locations in Rome with a factory worker in the leading role, The Bicycle Thief was among several post-war Italian films that provided an alternative to Hollywood's big-budget studio productions. Although not the first Neorealist film -- that honor goes to Roberto Rossellini's Open City -- it is the most famous and most accessible of the movement, thanks largely to director Vittorio De Sica's skill at directing actors and his ability to create moving images that seem totally unplanned. If the director's cinema traces its roots to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, then the impetus for the modern realistic film lies in De Sica's masterpiece. Beyond his influence on European directors like Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman, his work would inspire the rise of independent film in America, from unsung heroes like Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel in the '50s to Cassavetes in the ‘60s.

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11. RASHOMON (1950)

Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon added a new word to the dictionary, one that was used to describe any situation prompting conflicting interpretations. Kurosawa had trouble producing the film, given its unconventional narrative that depicted conflicting versions of the same two crimes. His studio was reluctant to fund the project and the Japanese government considered it too far outside the mainstream to represent their country at the Venice Film Festival. Yet, his groundbreaking film ultimately put Japanese cinema on the international map. Kurosawa's editing techniques (the film has twice as many shots as the average feature), gave it a sensual power that attracted audiences to the emotionally charged story. The director filmed directly into the sun for the first time in film history, a pioneering move that created dramatic lens flares. He also created beautiful outdoor images, shot by reflecting sunlight in a mirror borrowed from the costume department. Kurosawa transcended the challenges of a low-budget and censorship to create a new cinematic world that would inspire filmmakers like George Lucas and Martin Scorsese.

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12. THE SEARCHERS (1956)

Almost 20 years after he revitalized the genre with Stagecoach, director John Ford pointed the Western in a new, revisionist direction. Although far from a total reevaluation of the winning of the West, The Searchers offers one of the screen's first attempts to depict the racism underlying U.S.-Native relations. Ford views the problem from both sides, showing how both John Wayne's obsessed Indian hunter Ethan Edwards and the equally obsessed Comanche chief, Scar, have been shaped by violent acts of the past. The conflict between these two victims of Manifest Destiny turns the film from Western into a revenge tragedy set against the impassive, timeless vistas of Monument Valley. One of the most influential of all Westerns, the film inspired David Lean's landscapes in Lawrence of Arabia, several shots in George Lucas' Star Wars films and the final shoot out in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. Buddy Holly based one of his biggest hits on Wayne's catchphrase, "That'll be the day." And Wayne, who considered Ethan his best performance and The Searchers his best film, named a son after the character.

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13. BREATHLESS (1959)

Drawing on B-crime thrillers to create a chic nihilism, critic-turned-filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard not only defined the French New Wave, but also used his theory of “the cinema of reinvention” to change the look of film. With jarring quick cuts between scenes, jump cuts within them and long takes filled with dizzying camera movements, he made movies with a rough cinematic technique that was even reflected in his scripts. "Don't use the brakes," Jean-Paul Belmondo orders at one moment in Breathless. "Cars are made to go, not to stop!" By the end of the '60s, younger directors like Arthur Penn and Francis Ford Coppola were mining Godard's movies and imitating their distinctive style. And the film's anti-establishment attitude became a mainstay for a whole cinema of alienation in films like Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.

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14. PSYCHO (1960)

Following several big-budget, color productions like North by Northwest and Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock found inspiration in the low-budget black-and-white horror films of the day. Psycho ended up re-defining the genre, throwing the audience off-guard with major surprises, like killing off its biggest star, Janet Leigh, a third of the way into the movie. Hitch also pushed other boundaries: showing a flushing toilet on-screen (the first time in a Hollywood film), introducing the word "transvestite" to U.S. movie houses and, in the classic shower scene, making the audience think they had witnessed more violence than was actually shown on screen. But his perversity went way beyond that. By making viewers identify first with a petty crook, then with a cross-dressing serial killer, the master of suspense showed just how far a master director could go in making the medium -- and the audience -- his own. Before long, the filmmakers that Hitchcock had imitated started imitating him. The psycho killer became a horror film staple, leading to the slasher flicks that arrived with Halloween and Friday the 13th. The lasting influence of Psycho was also apparent in Wes Craven’s Scream trilogy, as the director opened each film with the murder of a “name” actress in the first act.

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15. STAR WARS (1977)

A long time ago, in a Hollywood far away, movies only made their money from ticket sales. With Star Wars, however, new markets opened up for merchandising-- not just of toys-- but novels, comics, television series and eventually video games. Adding to what would become known as the "Star Wars Expanded Universe" were a series of sequels and prequels more tightly connected than in other franchises. Over the course of 28 years, George Lucas created a six-part serial that has grown into the epic tragedy of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Star Wars did more than create expanded economic opportunities. At a time when science fiction was relegated mostly to low-budget productions, Lucas' created a multi-million dollar sci-fi epic based on the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials of his youth. The use of sophisticated special effects would have a lasting effect on future big-budget epics of all genres. His childhood obsessions helped a new generation of filmmakers, the movie nerds, dominate the screen. For Lucas, Star Wars was the chance to do his favorites right. His vision of a lived-in universe (he deliberately gave sets and props a used look) inspired later, more serious works like the Alien films and Blade Runner.

This is a pretty solid list. It was limited to fifteen because TCM is celebrating it's fifteenth anniversary. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of room on this list. Actually there's only four films (Rashomon, The Bicycle Thief, 42nd Street and Battleship Potemkin) on the list that I haven't seen. Although I have seen the famous "Odessa Steps" scene in Battleship Potemkin. So I feel pretty good about that.

I think my only issue with it is having two John Ford westerns on the list (It's a little redundant). I can buy Stagecoach but including The Searchers is stretching it. Don't get me wrong The Searchers is a great film and I think it is a better film than Stagecoach but I don't believe that it was more influential (especially for its time) than Stagecoach.

If I were to add one film to the list (thus subtracting Stagecoach), it would be Toy Story. Pixar ushered in a revolution in animation--both from a technical aspect and from a storytelling aspect. Toy Story is not Pixar's best film but is the one that put Pixar on the map and got the ball rolling.

To read more critiques click here and here.

"Monsters vs. Aliens" Movie Review

This week we look at the animated film Monsters vs. Aliens. A largely recognizable cast of voice talent performs in the film, led by Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, and Will Arnett. Rainne Wilson voices an alien set on taking over the Earth, when a group of monsters being held by the government are set loose on the aliens. Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon direct.

Ryan: Monsters vs. Aliens continues DreamWorks Animation streak of producing financially viable animated features. Barring the first Shrek movie and last year's Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks animated movies are generally not on the same level, at least artistically speaking, as Pixar's films. But nonetheless DreamWorks movies continue to be moneymakers at the Box-Office and for the most part they are entertaining films. Monsters vs. Aliens isn't anything to brag about but it's a more than suitable animated feature that will surely entertain most kids and some adults as well.

Andy: Monsters vs. Aliens is definitely a second-tier animated feature. That is not to say that it is bad, but it does not have the edge that the best of the animated movies have. It introduces goofy characters that are entertaining to watch and puts them in obligatorily goofy situations. The problem seems to be that in spite of being entertaining, the movie doesn’t feel like it has anything to say.

Ryan: As the title suggests Monsters vs. Aliens is exactly what it is—a straight ahead action cartoon—geared towards kids-- involving monsters fighting off an alien invasion of Earth. The movie exists on one level as opposed to some other recent more well-rounded animated features (WALL-E—for example). Generally speaking there's nothing wrong with this approach when it's done in an entertaining and creative manner. More often than not Monsters vs. Aliens succeeds as an engaging and slightly imaginative animated spectacle.

Andy: I can appreciate the idea of a movie just being an animated spectacle, but the comparison to last year’s WALL-E is inevitable (even if it is an unfair). To its credit, Monsters vs. Aliens does not reach for anything grand, it only tries to be an entertaining flick. But the lack of substance makes the movie drag at times, especially in the middle section. The simple, straight-forward plot could have been more inventively designed, not only for the adults in the audience, but the children as well.

Ryan: One thing about Monsters vs. Aliens that I did admire was making a female character the lead. Ginormica, the 40-foot woman (voiced by Witherspoon) is for all intensive purposes the main character in the movie. The filmmakers along with Witherspoon's voicing work do an excellent job in creating a strong female character that girls (and boys) can look up to. It's just rare when a female character is the lead in an animated movie and more rare when it's done right.

Andy: The more I think about it, the more I have a bit of a problem with the female lead character. First of all, she’s drawn as a Barbie-doll, with completely unnaturally proportions (aside from the obvious 40-foot aspect), and stumbles through the first half of the film with a childish naiveté that would be completely frustrating in a live-action film. By the time she learns the obvious lessons about valuing herself, the film has already objectified her in a way that is hard to get around. The scene where she originally grows to forty feet, stretching her dress to the max, bursting out of her garter belt is particularly troubling.

All told, Monsters vs. Aliens is entertaining enough, but lacks the depth to be a truly great animated feature.

Final grade: B-.

Saved by the *&%$ Bell

Behold, the magic power of the well placed beep.

"When we destroy nature, we diminish ourselves."

Thanks to my Hanover alumni wife we had the opportunity to see environmentalist/lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr. speak at Hanover College on Wednesday night.

It was a mesmerizing experience.

For well over an hour he spoke passionately and reasonable about environmental policies in The United States.

For those that have seen him on TV and what-knot...most people are aware that he is somewhat of a shaky (yet confident) speaker and at the onset of his presentation that was true. But by the end of his speech...he was in complete control delivering a powerful and resonating message. (That was also true of the way his father delivered speeches as well). Overall Kennedy's speech was a very informative and passionate plea that The United States can have a environmental policy that not only protects the environment but have a policy that strengthens (and not diminishes) the economy.

Kennedy went to great length to dispel the rumor that having a strong and sensible environmental policy is not economically friendly. He made several arguments when new technology was deemed ridiculous (for example...personal PC's in the '80's) and then eventually lead to a revolution (information in this case). Kennedy believes this is possible with energy. He also argued that our dependence on big oil companies--which is significantly assisted by our federal government is anti-capitalist and anti-free market and that it perpetuates an environment where original and creative thought is not rewarded...that basically the individual entrepreneurship spirit that has driven this county is not being appreciated (or even looked at in some cases).

I also liked how Kennedy seemed to tailor his speech to his audience. I'm sure some of that was by design but he spoke of hunting and fishing and how hunters and fishermen became some of the first modern day environmentalists in our country. Not all environmentalists fit the generic label of being left wing nut job tree-huggers Like I said before he spoke of free-markets and that's always going to set well with a southern Indiana audience. But he also spoke of the spiritual aspect of nature...not the worshiping of nature but expressing the historical and present-day notions of people finding God through nature...or how nature reflects God's design.

I was just very impressed by his overall message. I'm sure there are two sides to some of the points he was making but his message was well thought out and well presented.

I think we have to get past the notion that caring for nature is not in our best interest because it is in out best interest. Additionally...and not to make this a political issue...but it is in our best interest to find common ground and have an energy policy that is forward thinking.

The 10.31 Project

Thank you Stephen Colbert for demonstrating just how wacky and ridiculous Glen Beck (of Fox News) is.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The 10.31 Project
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"Adventureland" Movie Review

This week we'll be taking a look at the dramedy, Adventureland ( R). Jesse Eisenberg stars as a recent college graduate whose summer plans fall apart resulting in him going back to his home town of Pittsburgh to work at the aptly named amusement park, Adventureland. Kristen Stewert, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Ryan Reynolds co-star in the film. Greg Mottola directs.

Andy: Adventureland is a rare treat for this time of year, an authentic, quirky romantic comedy. The ad campaign surrounding the movie made it seem like a throw away comedy. While it is not a particularly deep movie, it does have a great deal of heart, and that carries it a long way. Greg Mottola has created a film that has a personality that is easy to fall for.

Ryan: Adventureland is directed by Mottola and he earned fame a few years by directing the hit comedy Superbad. Upon seeing the trailer for Adventureland my first reaction was to think that this was basically going to be Superbad but based in the '80's. That isn't the case but that's alright. Whether or not one was a fan of Superbad is negligible because Adventureland is a different kind of movie. It's a well executed coming-of-age story that is just as much drama as comedy. But it's a good mix of both ingredients and that perfect blend propels it to be a successful film.

Andy: One of the more appealing aspects of Adventurland is how the film balances itself between childhood and adulthood. In many ways the characters seem like unruly high-schoolers, an effect enhanced by the lead actors legitimately being the ages they are portraying. They are young adults, just out of college but not yet prepared or able to enter the “real world” work-force. The carefree partying coupled with the disappointment and desperation of becoming adult adds validity to Adventureland that helps it stand up.

Ryan: Mottola—who based much of the story on his own experiences—does an outstanding job not letting the comedy or drama go to either extreme. Consequently the film's narrative is tight and that makes for an authentic story that moviegoers can relate to. Furthermore I appreciate how Mottola sets the film in 1987 but doesn't keep reminding the audience that the movie is set in the '80's by having overt and ridiculous references. That subtly allows the movie to be relevant to its time but also express more universal ideas of love, friendship and self-worth.

Andy: At the core of the movie’s success is the performance of Jesse Eisenberg. As the movie’s main character, he is in almost every scene, and he pulls it off very well. Eisenberg was more than adequate in 2005’s “The Squid and the Whale,” and he expands on that performance here. He plays an awkward but charming young man who seems to feel all the little triumphs and failures of a summer job. Coupled with the adorable and vulnerable turn by Kristen Stewart, Adventureland boasts some solid, young talent.

Ryan: Also contributing to the movie's success are the two lead performances by Eisenberg and Stewert. Eisenberg, who some might remember from The Squid and The Whale, again delivers a quirky yet confident performance that shows that he can carry a movie of this magnitude. Most people will know Stewert from her being in the ubiquitous Twilight film. (I haven't seen that movie so I did not recognize her). Nonetheless I might be one step closer to watching that film (but probably not) because I was impressed with Stewert's performance. Her character was pretty messed up but she handled the part in a realistic fashion that showed a lot of strength.

Adventureland is a slightly unconventional film that charms its way to a solid B+.

NFL Mock Draft

The greatest mock draft ever...

2009 MLB Predictions

For what it's worth here are my predictions for the upcoming baseball season. I'm hesitant to do this because my predictions last year were very forgettable (and I'm not even going to link them).

Let's get to it...

National League

NL East: New York Mets (they have improved where they needed to...and their stars are in their prime)

NL Central: Chicago Cubs (they are still loaded...plus there's no other team in the division that I feel that are on their level)

NL West: Los Angles Dodgers (they have starting pitching concern but Manny makes that lineup the real deal)

NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies (if Hammels isn't right...than maybe I don't see them winning the Wild Card but they are going to score a lot of runs regardless so I'll stick to it)

Dodgers over Phillies
Cubs over Mets

Dodgers over Cubs

American League

AL East: New York Yankees (I know it's generic but Sabathia and Teixeria are solid additions)

AL Central: Minnesota Twins (I don't know how they do it but they just get it done seemingly year after year)

AL West: Los Angles Angels (they definitely have pitching concerns but so does almost everyone else in that division)

AL Wild Card: Tampa Rays (they are young, athletic and hungry for a title--that's a recipe for success)


Yankees over Angles
Rays over Twins

Rays over Yankees


World Series match up...Dodgers vs. Rays...and I'm going with the Rays.


NL MVP: Manny Ramirez
AL MVP: Mark Texieria

NL Cy Young: Johan Santana
AL Cy Young: Francisco Liriano

"Bruno" red band trailer

Be advised...this is a R-rated trailer.



But it's so worth it.

House Divided

Last night the Big Ten Network aired the '81 NCAA championship game between Indiana and North Carolina. Of course Indiana won (63-50)...mainly thanks to the effort of Isiah Thomas.

But nonetheless that got me thinking...what if that match-up happened again...and more specifically how would that effect a marriage (hypothetically speaking) of a couple where one person is an Indiana fan and the other is a North Carolina fan.

As I was talking to Jenny about this I naturally brought up the scenario where what if Indiana ever played Kentucky (her favorite school) in the NCAA title game. Of course she was like..it's just a game...there wouldn't be any issues.

Needless to say I had a different reaction. I declared that we couldn't watch the game together ( I don't think I could watch that potential match up with any Kentucky fan) and if IU lost I would probably need several days (maybe a week) to get over it. It's not like I couldn't be around her...more like she just couldn't bring up Kentucky winning.

But if IU won than we wouldn't have any problems and I would (eventually) drive her crazy with constant talk of IU winning.

I realize that this is completely irrational and that it is nothing more than a double-standard...but that's just the reality of how I would handle it.

The chances of that specific match up occurring is rare and ultimately that is probably a good thing (but not in terms of Indiana reaching the finals of the tournament...because that is always a good thing).