Land of the Lost

Today's movie is "Land of the Lost." It was the second of a double feature I saw at a drive-in theater. I will tell you of the other movie at a later time. "Land of the Lost" was actually the better movie. It was also better than I thought it would be. But that doesn't mean it was quality cinema. This is probably a movie to catch on TBS late at night. Or if you have a free rental at the redbox. It's typical Will Ferrell fare. He acts like a pompous idiot like you would expect. I love his schtick, so you should keep that in mind while reading this review. Now I never saw the TV show upon which this film is based but I'm told that's it's not the most faithful of adaptations. Will Ferrell plays a discredited scientist who happens across a strange new world. And wackiness ensues. There are some scattered laughs but not enought to pay eight bucks for.
So in the end I give this movie a C.

I look forward to Will Ferrell in "Anchorman 2"

A Movie A Day

So, I know I'm sporadic on this thing, but I'm going to try something new. For the next few days, I will post a movie review a day. Or I won't. Sometimes life happens. But that's the goal. There's too many reviews to do them all in one day. They will be in no particular order. Today's movie: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen".

This is an interesting movie to review. I liked the first move but I didn't love it. I just had too many problems with the plot. Yes I know it's based on a cartoon. But for whatever reason, I just thought some of the problems could've been fixed with a line or two. Was it really a smart idea to hide the little spark thingy in the middle of a populated city -- where robots could wreak crazy havoc? No it's not a good idea. How about in the middle of an abandoned desert. That's a better idea.

Speaking of abandoned deserts that where most of this movie takes place. I quite liked all of the robot fighting. But I think they could've taken out 5-7 minutes of robot fighting from the desert scenes and we'd have all lived. Also they could've taken out the entire parents subplot and the scene in China and I would've liked the movie even more.

Another thing about this movie is it's very sexualized. Isn't this a movie about toy robots. Do we really need everything to be sexy?

So you're asking yourself, did he like the movie, or not? I'm going to go with yes. I had so many people tell me that the movie wasn't any good that I went in with low expectations and was I kind of surprised by how not completely sucky it was.

So let me write a list of reasons to see the movie and reasons to not see it.. so you can decide for yourself if this movie is for you.

Reasons to see the "Transformers":

Big robots fighting
Great special effects
The plot makes more sense than the original. Although it is convoluted.
John Turturro doesn't suck in this movie like he did in the last one.
Lots of pretty ladies.
Big explosions
Big Robots fighting
Rainn Wilson

Reasons to not see the movie:

The twin robots
Too sexualized for children
The mom gets high for no apparent plot reason
Two dogs hump for no apparent reason
It's too long (a lot of scenes could've been excised and not hurt the movie)
The dialogue, especially between Shia and Megan

The fact that somehow the government was able to hide from the public the events of the first movie -- I mean come on -- No one noticed L.A. was destroyed by giant robots. If that happened in real life you can bet it would've been all over the news, not to mention youtube, facebook, etc.

CrOW is watching giant robots destroy L.A.

41 minutes ago · Comment · Like

Friday

Okay, I'm almost done. All I have left is Friday and then I can move onto other pop culture related posts. Friday television probably hasn't been good since "Firefly" went off the air years ago. Well this season it got good again. First off was "Prison Break" which finished it's series run this year. I know a lot of people abandoned PB over it's four year run. But I stuck with it. And I'm glad I did. Yes, it had some problems, yes it strained credibility, but yes it was also entertaining. I thought this last season started out really strong. The "Ocean's 11" episodes (as I like to call them) were great and brought new life to the series. The "Miami" episodes, though, dragged. I thought the finale was good and a fun way to end the show. I was blindsided by the surprise ending. I did not see that coming at all. I look forward to renting the DVD movie coming out this month that supposedly explains how that all went down. PB probably should've ended earlier than it did but I still enjoyed it to the end.
Series B+
First half of this season A-
Second half B-
Series Finale A-


And for the final show I plan to review this year: "Dollhouse." I wrote about this show earlier in the season. As anyone who knows me knows, I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan. So when I found out about his new show my expectations were quite high... Well when it finally premiered I was let down. I liked the premise but had a hard time getting used to the procedural element. I prefer serialized shows ala "Lost" and "24." Well things started to really pick up starting at episode six. I found myself drawn into this crazy, messed up world. Now this wasn't my favorite show last season as I hoped it might be... But it did prove to me that this show has big potential. I'm extremely excited about it's unlikely renewal. I have no doubt season 2 will be twice as good as season 1. As far as the finale.... who doesn't love Alan Tudyk. Right?
First half of Season B-
Second half of season B+
Finale: B+ (I actually liked the second to last episode better... but this one was still good.)

Thursday part two

This is the post where I talk about NBC's Thursday night line up. I'm going to start with "Parks and Recreation", NBC's newest sitcom. It stars Amy Poehler and it comes to us from the writers and producers of "The Office." I found this one growing on me as the season progressed. I particularly enjoyed Chris Pratt's character Andy. He's the boyfriend who gets both his legs broken. I've been a fan of Pratt's since "Everwood" and am glad to see him use his comedic chops on this show. I think this one has real potential. There were only like six episodes this season so I will only grade the season and not the finale.
Season grade: Solid B


Next up is "The Office." I really enjoyed this season particularly the second half of the season when Michael quit the office and started his own business. Sure it was improbable but it was funny. I liked how he got his job back and how he tried to make everyone feel guilty about sticking with him. This is just a solid sitcom. Sure it's not as funny as "30 Rock" but it's still a great way to spend 22 minutes.
Season: A-
Season Finale: B-

Speaking of "30 Rock," why is this show so funny. I could list the reasons. The incredibly talented Tina Fey, the hilarious Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan's insanity. I know everyone was supposedly tired of all the guest stars this season. But if it keeps this show on the air I say bring them on. I don't understand why this show doesn't have a bigger audience. Everyone I know watches it and loves it but yet there are no ratings. I only have six more words: I want to go to there.
Season: A
Season finale: B (not sure what happened here but I was underwhelmed by the finale)

Thursday part one

Sorry I've been gone for a week or two. I went on vacation. Which also means I saw a few movies. So hopefully I can get to those soon. I think you can expect more post come July after I've finished the screenplay I've been talking about.


So, Thursday. I'll start with my CW shows. "Smallville" just finished what I believe was its eighth season. I think this show is probably past its prime. But I'm sticking this one out to the end. But so help me if he doesn't turn into Superman before the end. This season started out really strong. I enjoyed the new angle now that Lex Luthor and Lana Lane are no longer on the show. My favorite episodes were the ones that revolved around Lois and Clark. They should just change the show to center around those two. That's what it's all going to be about in the end anyways. The finale was okay. I thought the fight between Clark and Doomsday was a real letdown. I realize it's a TV budget but come on give me something a little more. So here's hoping next season will be "Lois and Clark: The Next Generation"
Season: B-
Finale: C+

Next up is "Supernatural." This show has really evolved over the years. This season got pretty dark towards the end which is fine. Dark is good. But actually my favorite episodes are the funny ones. They're usually written by Ben Edlund of "The Tick" fame. He really was a warped sense of humor. The finale ended with a big battle between the two brothers and it looks like Satan is on his way out of hell. So I'm excited for what's expected to be its last season. If you like scary, goofy fun, I recommend giving this show a try. It's a largely undiscovered gem.
Season: B+
Season Finale A-

In the next post I will be tackling NBC's Thursday comedy night. So you can look forward to that... and hopefull soon I will review "The Brothers Bloom," "Angels and Demons," and "The Proposal."

One more thing I just want to thank those people who choose to make comments. Just when I'm not sure this thing is worth keeping up, I see a comment. So thanks. See ya next time.

Wednesday

Okay. Back to the TV schedule. I'm pretty sure "Lost" was the only show I watched on Wednesdays... but if you think I missed something let me know. Just a warning there may be spoilers for the fifth season.


"Lost" as far as I'm concerned is the best show on TV right now. Season five was as good as any season so far. People may moan and complain about the time travel but I say to you: "tough beans." Time travel is awesome. I've read a number of things over the years about how time travel is an overused sci-fi trope. It's overused because it's beyond cool. Sure sometimes it sucks if people think about it too hard.. the paradoxes and all... but this season hasn't created a paradox yet. It will be interesting to see what happens next season.

I thought the finale was perfect. Not as mind blowing as the season three finale but... perfect for what it was. The actual introduction of Jacob and the "man in black" was my favorite part. I'm assuming one is good and one is evil.. but I'm always surprised on this show. I feel like I'm always talking about "Lost" or "Star Trek" on this blog so I'll finish up. If you are one of those people who has given up on "Lost" or has never given it a try.. Now is your chance. The last season starts in January. The season with all the answers. The DVDs are probably at your local library or you can watch them online. Do it. You won't regret it... Unless you're one of those people who thrives on reality TV and doesn't like complex rich storytelling.. Then I'm sorry there's nothing here for you. Good Day Sir.

Season Grade A+
Season Finale A+

Midweek Movie Reviews

I'm going to take a break from my TV reviews today to address to the new movies I saw in the theater this weekend.


The first movie I saw was "Up." It's the latest movie from the Studio called Pixar. You may have heard of them... Probably because they are incapable of making bad movies. Sure some are better than others but none of them are bad. "Up" is the story of Carl Fredrickson... He's an octogenarian who decides to fly his home to South America. I won't give away the circumstances behind his decision but it makes sense in context. The thing is.. he's got a stowaway on board. A young Boy Scout. The dynamic between the two is the heart of the film. The cool thing about Pixar is they get to make movies that no regular studio would greenlight. Just think about it... when's the last time you saw a movie where the main character was over sixty years old... and it's an adventure/comedy. The movie is touching, funny, adventurous, and just a lot of fun. A definite must see.
Grade: A



The second movie I saw this weekend was "Drag Me To Hell" -- which for the record couldn't be more different than "Up." But it was great all the same. The movie comes to us from the same crazy mind that brought us the "Evil Dead" trilogy and the "Spiderman" trilogy... (yes I know the third one was crap... but the first two were great). This new movie is a horror film... but the cool thing is that it's not like the horror films we get now days. It's not "The Grudge" or "Saw IV"... It's actually good. Sam Raimi scares us with what's not on screen. Which in my opinion is the sign of a talented director. There's not a lot of gore or blood.. In fact the movie is PG-13. It does have some definite gross out parts... but that's part of the fun.. Trust me you don't want me to give it away. You may not want to eat during the movie... or for a couple hours afterwards. The movie follows Alison Lohman's character.. She plays a bank loan officer who feels pressured into denying a loan extension to an old lady who it turns out is an evil gypsy. The gypsy curses her and hijinks ensue. I couldn't find one girl I know who had any desire to see this.. They're missing out. So as a great horror/comedy

I give this film an A-... As my friend Dave said, "It could've used some Bruce Campbell.