Hit Me
It’s one of those stories that seems like it came straight out of Hollywood: brainiac students from MIT team with a slimy professor to count cards in Vegas, making a killing. And while 21, the film loosely based on Ben Mezrich’s true story Bringing Down the House, isn’t a total winner as either a “inspired by a true story” movie or as this generation’s answer to Rounders, it keeps viewers at the table long enough to cash in on a deck stacked with pure entertainment.
March Blandness
I’m sure by now you’re as tired as I am of all these gaps in writing time, and there’s not much I can say but “sorry.” Honestly, this time, a total lack of interesting movies to see or worthwhile reviews to write has kept me away for more than a month. Finally, though, there’s a stockpile of films in theaters that I’m moderately interested in seeing. That includes two this past weekend: Run, Fatboy, Run and 21. You’ll get reviews of those in the next couple days. Stay tuned.
It’s good to be back.
Wind Me Up
With the high-def format war officially over and impeccably digitized movies coming to your home television any day now, the sentiment behind Michael Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind – namely, that the sterilized consumption of movies has ruined mom and pop shops and cheapened the experience of film – is easy to understand. But for a movie that seems so in love with cinema, it would be nice to see a more carefully constructed concept.
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Hearse
An old conversation that seems appropriate today:
Me: What’s the best sports movie ever?
Mike: …is fishing a sport?
Me: Sure.
Mike: Jaws.
Rest in peace, Roy Scheider.
The Strike is Dead! Long Live TV!
After months of negotiation, reruns, and alternative programming, the writers’ strike is over, according to…Michael Eisner? Sure, why not?
Listen, it’s not like I haven’t found plenty of other things to watch since some of my favorite shows disappeared as early as November, but when Lipstick Jungle is the only new original programming on the air, you know it’s time to create some new shows.
First order of business: bring back The Office!
