Blue Cherry

Everything You May or May Not Have Wanted to Know About Sioux Falls' Newest Movie Theater

2010-04-30T23:38:00.000-05:00

Right now, Sioux Falls' first new movie theater in over a decade is under construction on the east side of town, right next door to the new east-side Target. If you're a local movie geek like myself, you're probably wondering, "What's the new theater going to be like?" Well, last night while waiting for A Nightmare on Elm Street to open at the west-side Century 14, I talked to the manager and asked about the east-side theater (as both the Century 14 and the east-side theater are managed by Cinemark). Here's what I learned...

Right now, the construction folks are gunning for a June 25th opening. However, if the schedule gets tight, the opening may be pushed back to June 30th. However, the theater staff would like to avoid a June 30th opening, because that is the day that Eclipse opens... and if you've been around the midnight openings of Twilight or New Moon, you know how busy and crowded movie theaters can get when a new Twilight movie opens. So, June 25th is the target date.
The east-side theater is going to have 12 screens. Between these 12, the Century's 14 screens, and the Carmike's 7 screens, Sioux Falls will now have 33 first-run movie screens. For trivia's sake, the most first-run movie screens that Sioux Falls ever had was 34 (from November 1999 to January 2001). This was when the Century 14 just opened, and Carmike was operating three first-run theaters: the Carmike 7, the West Mall 7, and the Empire 6. In January 2001, the Empire 6 closed, and just a few months later, the West Mall 7 was shut down, too... only to be re-opened as a second-run budget theater later in 2001. However... if the downtown State Theatre finishes its renovations and re-opens to the public, then we'll get one more first-run movie screen, which gets us back to the 34-screen record.
All 12 screens will be digital. (The Century 14 has only one digital/3-D screen, while all of the Carmike's 7 screens are digital.) So, not only will this provide perfect picture quality, but it will reduce the chances of technical problems, and it will allow the theater staff to be more dynamic in their scheduling, as they can quickly add additional shows for movies that are selling out.
As you're no doubt aware, 3-D is taking over America's movie screens right now. Unfortunately, the Century 14 is limited to one digital 3-D screen (which opened in June 2008), which led to scheduling problems this spring. (They had to cut Alice in Wonderland 3-D after three weeks to accommodate How to Train Your Dragon 3-D... which, in turn prevented the Century from showing Clash of the Titans in 3-D.) Fear not: the east-side theater has four screens capable of showing 3-D movies. Given the late June opening, at least two of these screens will be reserved for Toy Story 3 in 3-D (which, at that time, will only be a week old). Because of the increased 3-D capabilities, it's very likely that the east-side theater will skew towards showing more family movies, as kids' flicks make up the majority of 3-D films in the marketplace.
It's a possibility that one of the east-side's 12 screens might be a 'Cinemark XD' screen. What does that mean? Well, it's an extra-large wall-to-wall digital screen with a deluxe sound system. Some folks have affixed the "fake IMAX" label to these XD screens, if that helps explain the type of screen we might get. But remember, this XD screen is still a rumor, for the most part.
As you know, the Century's concession stands are in a "cafeteria-style" format, where moviegoers grab each of their items from various staff members as they go down the concession line. The east-side theater will utilize a different, "cafe-style" format, in which each customer will be serviced by a single employee who will take their order, grab each item, and ring it up for them.When the Century 14 opened in November 1999, it opened with a special VIP Night. On this night, if movie patrons donated food items to charity, they would get a free movie pass and free concessions. For the east-side theater's opening, the Cinemark staff are planning not one, but THREE such VIP nights! I don't know about you, but I'm blocking off late June right now. ;-)
And of course, all the amenities we've currently come to expect from the Century will be on the east side, too... stadium seating, special event broadcasts, and so forth.

And there you have it - that's what I know so far. Fortunately, the theater will be open for a good chunk of the summer, so lots of folks will be able to take this new movie-going experience in. I'm going to have to drive clear across town to check this new place out... but I'm guessing it's going to be worth it. :-)

Derrick's Insanely Comprehensive Summer 2010 Guide to Pop Culture

2010-04-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

From a pop culture standpoint, I get pretty giddy this time of year. After a meddling and uneven batch of spring flicks, the major studios start unleashing their A-list big-budget summer blockbusters. Sure, I don't mind prestige films... but when summer comes, I just want to be entertained. I just want to see stuff get blown up real good. I want to see superheroes whiz across the screen. I want to see funny slapstick comedies, the annual Pixar summer film, the highly anticipated sequels, and everything in between. And if the studios have done their jobs right, you want to see all that stuff, too.

Which brings us to this little bit of blog-based fun you see here. As an entertaining gesture, I've decided to kick off this summer's season of pop culture goodies by putting this informative post together. This overview will split up into my two areas of pop culture expertise: movies and TV. For the movies, I've put together a week-by-week rundown of what's coming out this summer, complete with hand-picked embedded trailers (courtesy of the folks at TrailerAddict.com). Keep in mind that I am not endorsing every single movie that's hitting theaters this summer; that would be insane and downright stupid. I simply want to provide some information about the flicks that you'll be hearing about sooner or later (for better or worse). For TV, I'm just going to focus on what I consider are some of the major boob-tube highlights of the summer - that is, the stuff I'm actually going to be watching. (Trailers, TV spots, and other videos will be provided if available.) So, let's get started!

In Theaters:
April 30:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (New Line, director: Samuel Bayer)

Technically, this isn't the first official summer movie release; that honor belongs to Iron Man 2. However, since this is a pretty big horror tentpole, I've included this weekend in my movie listings. This remake comes to us from horror-remake producer/Transformers guru Michael Bay, who's previously rehashed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. For horror geeks, all eyes will be on Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach in Watchmen), who takes on Robert Englund's iconic role of Freddy Kreuger. Hopefully this turns out as good as the Friday the 13th remake... although those video-blogging scenes in the trailer scare me more than any of Freddy's appearances. ;-)

Furry Vengeance (Summit; director: Roger Kumble)

To be honest, how many family movies do you know of that have the word "Vengeance" in the title? Don't get too excited, though: this just looks like 90 minutes of Brendan Fraser getting tortured by ticked-off forest creatures (in the name of hilarity, of course). Why? Because Fraser's company is going to destroy their forest! But hey, it's got Dr. Ken Jeong as the bad guy... and is that Brooke Shields as Fraser's wife?!? And did they really hand this movie to the guy who directed Cruel Intentions?

May 7:
Iron Man 2 (Paramount; director: Jon Favreau)

Now this is officially when the summer movies start... and my oh my, what a way to kick things off. In the two years since Iron Man's release, Robert Downey Jr.'s star power has skyrocketed... and the supporting cast they've assembled is impressive: Mickey Rourke (in his first post-Wrestler role) and Sam Rockwell as the bad guys, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, the returning Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle (substituting for a greedy Terrence Howard), a larger role for Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, and (as Tony Stark's dad) John Slatter of Mad Men fame. Plus, it's got the suitcase suit! (And yes, there's another big post-credits scene this time around...)

Babies (Focus; director: Thomas Balmes)

Yes, this is a real movie; the poster's been hanging at the Century here in town for months. It apparently follows four babies from various parts of the globe. At the very least, it has the wackiest MPAA ratings explanation since Alice in Wonderland: "Rated PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout."

May 14:
Robin Hood (Universal; director: Ridley Scott)

This is the fourth consecutive time that Ridley Scott has used Russell Crowe in his movies (following A Good Year, American Gangster, and Body of Lies)... and that's in addition to 2000's Gladiator. A part of me wonders if it's too soon for another Robin Hood movie; to an extent, we're still reeling from Prince of Thieves and Men in Tights. But, I trust Ridley Scott, so I'm game for this revival. Also with Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, Matthew Macfayden as the Sheriff of Nottingham, William Hurt, and Mark Strong.

Letters to Juliet (Summit; director: Gary Winick)

Seriously, is Amanda Seyfried in absolutely everything these days? Think about it: Jennifer's Body, Dear John, Chloe, Big Love, and now this. The concept seems a bit hokey (the titular "Juliet" refers to Shakespeare's famous character), but seems like serviceable summer counterprogramming. With Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Egan (whom you might remember from last year's NBC series Kings).

Just Wright (Fox, director: Sanaa Hamri)

Again, this seems like summertime counterprogramming on the studios' part. This has Queen Latifah as a physical therapist looking for love... and finds it in the b-ball player she's rehabilitating (Common).

May 21:
Shrek Forever After (DreamWorks; director: Mike Mitchell)

So, apparently, this is the final installment in Dreamworks' biggest animation franchise ...and based on the tired "deal with the devil" plot, I think the series should wrap up. A part of me wants to doubt this will be the end, but I guess we'll see, depending on the box office intake (which will get a boost from this movie's 3D showings). Besides, fat Puss in Boots really cracks me up in the trailers... seriously!

MacGruber (Rogue; director: Jorma Taccome)

We haven't been privy to a Saturday Night Live-based movie since that run in the late 1990s (A Night at the Roxbury; Superstar; The Ladies Man)... and let's face it, none of the SNL movies since Wayne's World have been memorable. I'm going to be optimistic this time around: director/co-writer Jorma Taccome is one of the members of The Lonely Island, who's responsible for SNL's digital shorts, and the casting is pretty solid, anchored by Val Kilmer (!!!) as the villian.

May 27 (Special Thursday Opening!):
Sex and the City 2 (New Line; director: Michael Patrick King)

2008's Sex and the City movie was a smash success at the box office, far exceeding Hollywood's expectations. So, just two years later, the sequel is here... and while I've never watched the show (and therefore won't be hitting this movie up), the whole "Let's go to Abu Dhabi!" theme caught me as a big surprise. So, if you want to see Sarah Jessica Parker riding a camel in the desert, here you go!

May 28:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Disney; director: Mike Newell)

One of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's big goals this summer is to try and start up another live-action movie franchise that's as successful as their Pirates of the Caribbean series (speaking of which: Pirates 4 is due next summer). So, here's their first attempt: an adaptation of the classic video game, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, and Jake Gyllenhaal's hair. In the director's chair: Mike Newell, of Donnie Brasco and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire fame.

June 4:
Get Him to the Greek (Universal; director: Nicholas Stoller)

One of this summer's most out-of-left-field movies is this: a spin-off of 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was only mildly successful at the box office (but is a movie that I, and many others, still cherish). This flick revolves around Russell Brand's rock-star character Aldous Snow, as he and a record company intern (Jonah Hill, who is not reprising his Sarah Marshall character) trek from London to L.A. for an anniversary concert. The supporting cast looks good, too: Elisabeth Moss (Peggy from Mad Men), Aziz Ansari, and Puff Daddy himself, Sean Combs.

Killers (Lionsgate; director: Robert Luketic)

Well, now that Katherine Heigl has left Grey's Anatomy for good, she and her mother/manager really, really need her movie career to take off. This particular movie doesn't seem to get things off to a good start: it's a watered-down action/comedy/romance with Ashton Kutcher playing Heigl's husband-who's-really-an-assassin... and Heigl doesn't know it! Hi-larious! (The comparisons to Knight & Day certainly won't help out here.) And hey, look, it's Tom Selleck!

Marmaduke (Fox; director: Tom Dey)

When I first saw this trailer about a month ago, I said to myself, "This looks like the crappiest movie of the summer." Look at the signs: Owen Wilson as the voice of the talking dog Marmaduke; an assist from George Lopez; Lee Pace of Pushing Daisies fame looking embarrassed; and William H. Macy getting pummeled in the nuts... TWICE. And then there's that horrible CGI animal dancing sequence at the very end... yeeeesh. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Splice (Warner; director: Vincenzo Natali)

A creepy-looking little summer horror movie, courtesy of Joel Silver and his Dark Castle team (who gave us last summer's awesome horror flick Orphan). A team of scientists, including Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, genetically engineer themselves a part-human, part-animal creature... and stuff soon starts to hit the fan!

June 11:
The A-Team (Fox, director: Joe Carnahan)

This looks like some good old summer popcorn fare: an updating of the 1980s action series, starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley (the star of District 9) and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (as B.A. Barracus) as the titular team, and with Jessica Biel in a supporting role. From director Joe Carnahan (of Smokin' Aces fame).

The Karate Kid (Sony; director: Harald Zwart)

When your dad is Will Smith, you can get your own star-making vehicle pretty easily... or so I guess. So it is for Jaden Smith, who steps into Ralph Macchio's rather large shoes in this remake of the 1980s franchise. Stepping into the Mr. Miyagi role: Jackie Chan, in his second American family flick of the year. (Trivia note: There's no karate in this movie, just kung fu. However, while this flick will be titled The Kung Fu Kid in the rest of the world, the good old U.S.A. still needs some name recognition, so that's why the title is a bit weird.) And, hey, is that a snippet of "You're the Best" that I heard at the end of the trailer?

June 18:
Toy Story 3 (Disney; director: Lee Unkrich)

For me, this is THE movie of the summer, bar none. The Toy Story franchise is very dear to my heart, and early reviews have indicated that it's just as good as the first two films. Among the new toys: the Lots-o-Huggin' Bear (voiced by Ned Beatty) and Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton). This will be shown in Disney Digital 3D in select theaters.

Jonah Hex (Warner; director: Jimmy Hayward)

Unfortunately, I don't have a trailer for this movie yet... which is very scary, because the movie is due in theaters in eight weeks (although a trailer is supposed to go out with A Nightmare on Elm Street). By all indications, this comic book adaptation starring Josh Brolin is supposed to be a major trainwreck, with I Am Legend/Constantine director Francis Lawrence stepping in to help with reshoots. (Director Jimmy Hayward had previously worked only in animation, having directed Horton Hears a Who! following a long stint as a Pixar animator. Ironically, his live-action debut will be crushed by Toy Story 3 that same weekend.) Joining Brolin are John Malkovich and Megan Fox.

June 25:
Grown-Ups (Sony; director: Dennis Dugan)

This summer's Adam Sandler movie has quite a gimmick: it reunites him with many of his old Saturday Night Live buddies, including Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider, in this story of old childhood buddies who meet up for a 4th of July vacation. Plus, there's Kevin James, who seems to be playing a very Chris Farley-esque role, and Salma Hayek as (not making this up) Sandler's wife. From frequent Adam Sandler director Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy).

Knight & Day (Fox; director: James Mangold)

If there's one thing that makes this movie look awesome, it's watching Tom Cruise channel his real-life craziness directly to the movie screen. This flick from director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) features Cruise as a superspy who's snapped, and Cameron Diaz as the random stranger who gets mixed up in his messes. Some fun action (like Cruise flying off his motorcycle onto Diaz's car) and comedy all in one.

June 30 (Special Wednesday Opening!)
Eclipse (Summit; director: David Slade)

Round three of the Twilight franchise. This time around, Summit is really trying to get the male audience to show up, by ramping up the action. (Personally, I would just settle for a movie that isn't as unintentionally funny as the first two installments.) Plus, the hiring of David Slade is a bold and wise choice, as his previous movies, 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, demonstrate his expertise in vampire scares and wildly age-inappropriate relationships, respectively. However, it's rumored that the cut he originally turned in was too dark for the studio... I guess we'll find out come release time.

July 2:
The Last Airbender (Paramount; director: M. Night Shyamalan)

Call this "the other Avatar movie", as the Nickelodeon animated series gets a live-action upgrade. In my mind, though, this is a big test for M. Night Shyamalan, who's become a director-for-hire after The Happening bombed hard with critics and audiences in the summer of 2008. Paramount has just announced a last-minute 3D conversion, akin to Clash of the Titans; let's see how well that turns out. Visual effects don't look bad, though...

July 9:
Predators (Fox; director: Nimrod Antal)

The Predator is back to kill and kill again, thanks to producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal (Armored, Vacancy). With Rodriguez in charge, this movie had better be bad-ass; hopefully this will harken back to the 1987 original with Ah-nuld. Who's stepping into his shoes, by the way? Adrien Brody and Topher Grace! (Yes, that's absolutely correct.)

Despicable Me (Universal; directors: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin)

I don't think it's a good sign when a movie has had a gazillion trailers, and I still have no idea what the heck it's about. All I know is that Steve Carell is the voice of Gru, a super-villian, and he has to content with a geeky rival villian (Jason Segel) and raising some kids. Hopefully, they kick up the advertising campaign here pretty soon. (Again, this is another 3D extravaganza.)

July 16:
Inception (Warner; director: Christopher Nolan)

When your previous movie is The Dark Knight, you pretty much have free reign to do whatever you want. So, Christopher Nolan has put together what looks like one heck of a mindf*ck, with an A-list cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, and Ellen Page. Definitely one of my most anticipated movies of the summer!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Disney; director: Jon Turtletaub)

Remember what I wrote in the Prince of Persia blurb about how Disney's looking for a new big franchise? Well, here's their second such effort this summer, which reunites the National Treasure team of Jerry Bruckheimer, director Jon Turtletaub, and star Nicolas Cage. Also along for the ride: Alfred Molina and, as the apprentice, Jay Baruchel. (Odd, though; there's only a slight reference to the Fantasia short of the same name...)

July 23:
Dinner for Schmucks (DreamWorks; director: Jay Roach)

The one-two-three punch of Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifianakis certainly raises the bar for this French comedy remake, directed by Jay Roach (the helmer of the Meet the Parents and Austin Powers movies). Carell's the master of uncomfortable comedy, thanks to The Office, so I'm optimistic about this.

Salt (Sony; director: Phillip Noyce)

Two years ago, we got Angelina Jolie's last action movie, the gloriously over-the-top Wanted. This new movie, in which Jolie plays a supposed Russian spy, will likely be a lot more grounded in reality, thanks to director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger).... but hopefully not too much! :-)

Ramona and Beezus (Fox; director: Elizabeth Allen)

That's right, America: Beverly Cleary is coming to kick some big-screen ass! I'm sure some other studio will counteract next summer with a Judy Blume favorite. ;-) In all seriousness, this flick, from Walden Media, is aiming to be a cuddly, inoffensive addition to the summer's family movie arsenal.

July 30:
Beastly (CBS Films; director: Daniel Barnz)

Okay, now this looks a little weird: a Beauty and the Beast riff for the teen set. The casting is sure odd, though: Mary-Kate Olsen as a Goth witch, and Neil Patrick Harris as a blind tutor!

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner; director: Brad Peyton)

Uhhhhhh.... seriously, who asked for a sequel to *this* movie?!?!? The 2001 original wasn't that huge of a hit... and certainly too much time has passed between now and then. But, America loves its cute animals... and (yet AGAIN) this is cashing in on the 3D hype. I kind of feel sorry for the live-action actors involved: Chris O'Donnell, Fred Armisen... and is that Kenneth himself, Jack McBrayer, in a Dracula costume?!?

August 6:
The Other Guys (Columbia; director: Adam McKay)

When Will Ferrell and Adam McKay team up to make a movie, the results are golden: Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. Their fourth film collaboration looks just awesome: Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play NYPD desk jockeys who pale in the shadow of the department's star cops (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson)... until they get a chance to shine on their own! "Someone call 9-1-holy-sh..."

Step Up 3D (Disney; director: Jon Chu)

Yes, there is a third Step Up coming this summer. And yes, America's gonna be really, really sick of 3D by the end of this summer, I swear it. Besides, I doubt Channing Tatum will have the time to make an obligatory cameo this time around!

August 13:
The Expendables (Lionsgate; director: Sylvester Stallone)

The movie-geek nerd-gasm of the summer, as Stallone assemble the biggest bunch of bad-asses ever seen on the screen: Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Dolph Lundgren, and many, many more!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Universal; director: Edgar Wright)

The new movie from Edgar Wright, director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, is this adaptation of the graphic novel series about the titular Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), who takes on the girl of his dreams' seven exes, including Brandon Routh and Chris Evans. Plus, for Arrested Development fans, it's going to be amusing watching George Michael and Ann kick each other's butts! :-)

Eat, Pray, Love (Sony; director: Ryan Murphy)

Hot off the success of his hit TV show Glee and the series finale of Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy brings us his second flick (the first being Running with Scissors), an adaptation of the best-selling book starring Julia Roberts.

August 20:
Takers (Sony; director: John Luessenhopp)

This crime movie was supposed to come out on President's Day Weekend; a six-month delay can't be a good thing! Still, that's an odd and large cast there: Idris Elba, Chris Brown, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, and Matt Dillon.

Nanny McPhee Returns (Universal; director: Susanna White)

Supernanny Emma Thompson is back to do nanny-like things, and stuff and stuff. This movie already hit British theaters in late March, and Universal is going to import it over to fill out its August schedule.

The Lottery Ticket (Warner; director: Erik White)

The dynamic duo of Bow Wow (don't you dare call him Li'l Bow Wow!) and Ice Cube hit screens, as Bow Wow's character wins $370 million in the lottery, and his entire neighborhood hunts him down. There's a bunch of bit players in here: T-Pain, Keith David, Charlie Murphy, and more...

August 27:
Piranha 3D (Dimension; director: Alexandre Aja)

This looks like cheesy end-of-summer horror fun; hopefully it's better than The Final Destination. Plus, it looks like a modern-day Jaws ripoff... heck, it's got Richard Dreyfuss dressed up at Matt Hooper!!! Director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes remake, Mirrors) is running the show.

September 3:
Machete (Fox; directors: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Marquis)

Okay, that's not the real trailer for this flick - that's the fake Machete trailer filmed as part of 2007's Grindhouse. But, the mere fact that a fake trailer can lead to an actual feature film is pretty darn impressive... especially since Grindhouse bombed in theaters. Plus, look at this cast: Danny Trejo as Machete, fellow fake-trailer stars Jeff Fahey and Cheech Marin, plus Robert De Niro, Lindsey Lohan, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, and Don Johnson! This Labor Day, don't f*ck with this Mexican!

Whew, so that's the movie portion of this summer... now, onto TV:

On Television:
Spring Leftovers:
Some of this spring's shows are going to spill into summertime, thanks to late season starts. Glee's season finale is slated for June 9, and it's going to revolve around a bunch of Journey songs. Plus, TV's most awesomest show, Breaking Bad, will wrap up on June 13.

The Return of Futurama!

One of the most exciting things to happen on TV this summer is the long-awaited series return of Futurama. That's precisely right: Futurama returns this summer... Thursday, June 24th to be exact... with the first of 26 episodes ordered by Comedy Central.

HBO:

Once again, HBO is aggressively promoting the return of True Blood, whose third season is slated to start on June 13th. Two weeks later, on the 27th, Entourage and Hung return for their seventh and second seasons, respectively.

The World of Matt Nix:

The master of the summer TV series has two shows in play this summer. First, Burn Notice returns for Season 4 on Thursday, June 3rd. (The series just got picked up for a 5th and 6th season, too!) In addition, Nix has a new series starting on Fox on May 19th: The Good Guys, a buddy-cop show starring Bradley Whitford (yes, of Aaron Sorkin and Billy Madison fame) and Colin Hanks (son of Tom).

AMC:

I already mentioned the Breaking Bad finale above... but AMC has two other shows in the pipeline. The fourth season of Mad Men returns on July 25th, with the newly formed Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Pryce ad agency sure to propel this year's stories. A week later on August 1st, AMC premieres its third original series, Rubicon, a conspiracy thriller starring James Badge Dale, of 24 and The Pacific fame.

And Last, But Certainly Not Least:
If absolutely none of the above movies and series float your boat, there's always one option that's on almost every night, and which is perfect to watch on a lazy summer evening. Yes, I'm talking about Twins baseball on FSN North! As of this writing, they've got a decent 14-7 record, and the new Target Field is certainly cool to see, too.

Well, there you have it: a veritable slew of information that will keep you occupied for many hours these next few months. Hope you had fun, and have an awesome summer!

Something Resembling an End-of-2009 List, Part 2: The Home Video List

2010-01-22T19:01:00.000-06:00

At long last, here's the second installment of my 2009 summary write-ups. In this list, I've tried to point out some of the special high points of the 2009 DVD and Blu-ray release slates. The key with this list is not really to point out excellent movies and TV series (that's what my previous TV list, and my forthcoming movie list, are for). Rather, this is intended to highlight some of the cool things that are happening on home video, in terms of audio/video quality and special features. With that in mind, here are ten of my picks, in absolute no order whatsoever. Enjoy!

Pixar on Blu-ray

The home video releases of Pixar movies have always delivered the highest quality, in terms of video, audio, and supplements. After only one Blu-ray release in 2008 (for Wall-E), Pixar opened the floodgates in 2009, delivering stunning Blu-rays of three of their titles. May brought us a jaw-droppingly beautiful Blu-ray of A Bug's Life, while November gave us the stellar releases of Up and Monsters, Inc... which, thanks to Disney's various offers, were incredibly affordable (I paid a total of $1.12 on release day for both!). Next year should be awesome, with the first two Toy Story movies due on Blu-ray March 23, and the theatrical and Blu-ray releases of Toy Story 3 in June and the fourth quarter of 2010, respectively... and who knows, could they give us Finding Nemo and The Incredibles as well? :-)

Woodstock: 40th Anniversary Blu-ray

It's getting harder and harder for a home video release to truly astonish me, especially for older movie titles. But if I had to pick one classic release that blew me away this year, it would have to be this mega-release for the 1994 director's cut of the classic documentary on the 1969 concert. Remastered on home video for the first time since 1997, the picture quality is a revelation, and the soundtrack is up to snuff, too. But, the supplements are where this disc really shines, with over 90 minutes of brand-new making-of featurettes including director Michael Wadleigh and editor Martin Scorsese (yes, that guy), and a whopping two hours of never-before-seen concert performances restored especially for this DVD/Blu-ray release. It's a testament to how excellent Warner Home Video treats their classic films (see this year's Blu-ray releases of The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, or North by Northwest for other examples).

The Funny People Blu-ray Extras

Among modern filmmakers, Judd Apatow has developed a reputation for incredibly stacked DVDs of his movies; the movies he's directed (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) and produced (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Walk Hard, and Superbad, among others) have been chock-full of extended cuts, deleted footage, documentaries, and comedy featurettes. For his most personal film to date, Apatow has loaded the 2-disc Blu-ray of Funny People with almost NINE HOURS of video material, as well as an audio commentary and an extended cut of the already-length movie. Here's just some of what the Blu-ray contains: Almost TWO HOURS of deleted scenes; an hour of assorted stand-up footage from the filming of the movie; a hilarious half-hour mockumentary on Aziz Ansari's RAAAAAAAANDY; a half-hour of James Taylor performing at the MySpace party; an entire hour-long episode of Charlie Rose with Apatow and Adam Sandler; early 1990s stand-up performances from Adam Sandler, Apatow, and Seth Rogen; and all the Internet clips of Jason Schwartzman's character's sitcom Yo Teach! Whew! Although I only really liked the movie's first 90 minutes, the Blu-ray package as a whole is probably the most stupendous one I've seen for a 2009 theatrical release.

David Fincher on Blu-ray

The director's first three movies to be released on Blu-ray were all high-caliber releases that lived up to Fincher's perfectionist standards. In January 2009, the Director's Cut of Zodiac was finally ported over to Blu-ray from DVD and HD-DVD, preserving the 1970s-styled high-def photography in stunning fashion. In May, the Criterion Collection gave us The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as well as a wealth of documentaries which delve into the movie's complex special effects. (There's much more VFX work in this movie than you can ever imagine, so take a look.) Finally, in November, Fox gave us the 10th Anniversary Edition of Fight Club, with one of the loudest and most impressive audio mixes I've heard in quite some time, and with video so perfect that you'll doubt that Fight Club came out in 1999! Unfortunately, the only Fincher movie on tap for Blu-ray so far in 2010 is Alien 3, which he has famously disowned; hopefully we can get Se7en, too.

Fox's quick TV-on-DVD releases

Fox has taken several steps to advance its sterling TV-on-DVD department this year, the biggest being its direct-to-video releases (the It's Always Sunny Christmas special, the Prison Break finale movie, the Family Guy parody of The Empire Strikes Back, and via MGM, the Dead Like Me movie). But they've also take the refreshing step of accelerating their TV season releases, whenever possible. Thanks to some unusual TV production schedules (a lingering effect of the writers' strike), some series have been filming many months ahead of their airdate... which can be used to great effect in the DVD world. The best example of this is 24: Season 7, which hit both DVD and Blu-ray the day after the season finale aired! Prison Break: Season Four and Dollhouse: Season One also saw unnaturally early summer releases, too. Finally, this Christmas gave us a quickie release of the first 13 episodes of Glee, less than three weeks after the Sectionals finale. Other studios are going to give it a try in 2010; for example, Lionsgate will deliver the 2009 seasons of Weeds and Mad Men in first quarter 2010, much earlier than their usual summer releases. Personally, I hope this trend continues.

Star Trek and The Prisoner on Blu-ray

Although we got a lot of modern TV series on Blu-ray this year, the most impressive TV show Blu-rays have come to us from... the 1960s?!? The new Star Trek movie allowed Paramount to put out all three seasons of Star Trek on Blu-ray, with each episode restored, remixed, and featuring brand-new special effects (think Star Wars: Special Edition, but not as annoying). Fortunately, users can toggle between the original and new versions of each episode. The supplements are also excellent, too, porting over the extras from the 2004 season sets (including the Best Buy bonus disc material), the 2007/2008 remastered DVD releases, and brand-new goodies created for these Blu-ray versions. Offered to us in time for the not-well-received AMC remake, Patrick McGoohan's classic series The Prisoner also gave us impecccable video quality for a 1960s series, as well as lots of supplementary material, including a 90-minute documentary which delves us into the show's somewhat troubled production (McGoohan had no idea where he was going, or how to even end the show). If (and this is a BIG "If") Image Entertainment is able to give us The Twilight Zone in Blu-ray on 2010, expect this trend to continue...

The Bruno Commentary Track

Learning how a movie was made has become a somewhat stagnant process; audio commentaries and documentaries can often be cliched in this manner. Fortunately, some movies are different enough in their creation that they can make DVD making-of material exciting again. With that in mind, I ate up the audio/video commentary for Bruno, in which Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles pull back the curtain for the first time and explain how their unique guerrilla filmmaking style works. Heck, they even pause the movie to fully explain several scenes! It's probably the most informative commentary of 2009, and whenever Borat hits Blu-ray in the States, I can only hope that it receives similar treatment.

Complete TV Series Releases

The TV show release pattern is quite solid: release Season 1, then Season 2, then continue to the end, then release a 'complete series' set. In 2009, some studios took the initiative to eschew the individual season releases and just put out the complete series sets right away... to the approval of myself and other DVD fans. In January, Warner wrapped up all six seasons of the cult kids' cartoon The Powerpuff Girls into one big pink, blue and green DVD box. In July, for the Blu-ray premiere of Battlestar Galactica, Universal made a very bold move and gave us all four seasons in one package... complete with Cylon action figure! In October, after numerous music clearance hurdles, Fox FINALLY released Ally McBeal in both a Season One set and a Complete Series set. Granted, there aren't many TV shows left to release on DVD... but perhaps this may become a formidable release model for Blu-ray. I guess we'll have to see.

Watchmen's Maximum Movie Mode

As I alluded to in the Bruno write-up above, DVD and Blu-ray supplements have become a bit cliched, to the extent where I look forward to seeing studios push the envelope in any manner. Fortunately, the initial Blu-ray release of Watchmen gave us a nice twist on the audio commentary with what Warner calls "Maximum Movie Mode". Here's the gist of it: with this feature enabled, director Zack Snyder actually appears on-screen in front of two screens: one showing the movie, and one showing behind-the-scenes footage. As you watch the three-hour Director's Cut of Watchmen, the video shifts between full-screen movie footage and scenes of Snyder talking in front of the movie (and actually pointing out parts of the frame in the process). In addition, when the movie's in full-screen mode, we are occasionally shown picure-in-picture video footage from the set, and even panels from the Watchmen graphic novel, which viewers can compare to the film. It's a nifty and well-executed special feature... and considering how dense and complex Watchmen is, it's a great way to dissect the movie.

Alphabetical Listing of Posts

2010-01-22T17:52:00.011-06:00

Derrick's Spring 2010 TV Roster: A Helpful Guide

2010-01-02T19:25:00.006-06:00

All times below are Central Standard Time; my apologies to all you folks who live on the coasts. Also, for your convenience, many of these shows will go into repeats during the 2010 Winter Olympics airing between February 12 and 28. (Note: The // denotes shows that I am not sure if I will watch yet. Time, show quality, and my ability to catch up on previous seasons will be the deciding factors here.)

Sunday:
The Simpsons (Season 21): Sundays 7:00 PM on Fox; resumes January 3
The Cleveland Show (Season 1): Sundays 7:30 PM on Fox; resumes January 3
Family Guy (Season 9): Sundays 8:00 PM on Fox; resumes January 3
American Dad (Season 6): Sundays 8:30 PM on Fox; resumes January 3; moves to Sundays at 6:30 PM starting March 14
Breaking Bad (Season 3): Sundays 9:00 PM on AMC; starts in late March (March 21?)
//The Pacific (the 10-part companion piece to Band of Brothers): Sundays on HBO starting March 14 and running through May 16

Monday:
How I Met Your Mother (Season 5): Mondays 7:00 PM on CBS; resumes January 11 with the series' 100th episode
Heroes (Season 4 - final season?): Mondays 8:00 PM on NBC; resumes January 4 with 2-hour episode; season (series?) finale February 8
24 (Season 8): Mondays 8:00 PM on Fox; 2-night 4-hour season premiere Sunday, January 17 and Monday, January 18
The Big Bang Theory (Season 3): Mondays 8:30 PM on CBS; resumes January 11
//Chuck (Season 3): Mondays 8:00 PM on NBC; 2-hour season premiere Sunday January 10; regular airings begin January 11
//Parenthood (Season 1): Mondays 8:00 PM on NBC; series premiere March 1

Tuesday:
Scrubs (Season 9): Tuesdays 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM on ABC; all 13 episodes to air by end of January
Better Off Ted (Season 2): Tuesdays 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM on ABC; all 13 episodes to air by end of January
Lost (Season 6 - final season of 18 hours): Tuesdays 8:00 PM on ABC; returns with 2-hour season premiere + 1-hour recap special on February 2
Glee (Season 1, Part 2 - 9 episodes): Tuesdays 8:00 PM on Fox after American Idol; returns April 13
V (Season 1, Part 2 - 9 episodes): Tuesdays 9:00 PM on ABC; returns March 30

Wednesday:
Friday Night Lights (Season 4): Wednesdays 8:00 PM on DirecTV's The 101; returns January 6; season finale February 10
Modern Family (Season 1): Wednesdays 8:00 PM on ABC; returns January 6
Nip/Tuck (Season 7 - final season of 9 episodes): Wednesdays 9:00 PM on FX; season premiere January 6; series finale March 3
South Park (Season 14, Part 1 - 7 episodes): Wednesdays 9:00 PM on Comedy Central; season premiere March 10; mid-season finale April 21
//Human Target (Season 1): Wednesdays 8:00 PM on Fox; premieres Sunday January 17; regular airings begin January 20

Thursday:
Flash Forward (Season 1): Thursdays 7:00 PM on ABC; returns March 4
Community (Season 1): Thursdays 7:00 PM on NBC; returns January 14
Parks and Recreation (Season 2): Thursdays 7:30 PM on NBC; returns January 14
Fringe (Season 2): Thursdays 8:00 PM on Fox; 'lost' episode from Season 1 to air Monday, January 11; Season 2 returns January 14 through February 4; remainder of Season 2 to air starting April 1
The Office (Season 6): Thursdays 8:00 PM on NBC; returns January 21
30 Rock (Season 4): Thursdays 8:30 PM on NBC; returns with two episodes on January 14
Archer (Season 1 - 10 episodes): Thursdays 9:00 PM on FX; series premiere January 14; season finale March 11
Burn Notice (Season 3, Part 2 - 7 episodes): Thursdays 9:00 PM on USA; returns January 21; season finale March 4

Friday:
Dollhouse (Season 2 - final season): Fridays 8:00 PM on Fox; final three episodes to air January 8, 15, and 22
The Soup: Fridays 9:00 PM on E!

Saturday:
Saturday Night Live (Season 35): Saturdays 10:30 PM on NBC; returns January 9

Something Resembling an End-of-2009 List, Part 1: The TV List

2009-12-25T22:22:00.006-06:00

Well, we're in the final week of 2009, and around this time, everyone and their mothers plunk out assorted 'best of' lists for the year. So, I'm going to succumb to the trend and talk about what 2009's brought us (and by us, I mean 'me') in terms of pop culture. To that extent, I plan on producing three such lists. What you're reading now will detail the very best in television for 2009. Sometime next week (or the week after), I plan on typing up a list of home video highlights for the year. And by mid-January, I should hopefully be able to provide a list of the best movies of '09. Why will this list take so long? Well, some awards-season movies don't make it to Sioux Falls until early-to-mid-January, so I have to wait in order to take everything in that would qualify for said list.

So, here are the ten best things that I saw on television this year. Here are the ground rules:
1) I'm not a big fan of ranking stuff, so the following items are presented IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
2) Before you ask... I have an HBO subscription only; no Showtime or Starz. That means I won't get around to watching Dexter vs. John Lithgow until the Season 4 Blu-ray comes out in August of 2010. Sorry in advance!

With those in mind, please enjoy, and let the complaining begin. :-)

Archer: The pilot

In September 2009, after the fifth-season premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX provided an ultra-secret sneak peek at their upcoming animated comedy, Archer, about a 007-esque super-spy with serious mommy issues. In retrospect, I'm very disappointed in how FX handled this; had more people known that FX was going to air this, then I have no doubt in my mind that the buzz on Archer would have gone through the roof. With rapid-fire dialogue that was incessantly clever, a rather naughty sense of humor, and some inspired riffs on the life of the secret agent, Archer quickly ascended to my "Can't Wait" list. Plus, there's something about hearing H. Jon Benjamin's voice eminating from the body of a James Bond-like animated character. (No matter how many times I'll hear it, the Jenga line in the opening sequence slays me every single time.) The series premieres on January 14th; tune in and see exactly what I'm raving about. :-)

Breaking Bad: Season Two

As much as I enjoy Mad Men (and don't get me wrong, the last three episodes of Season 3 this year were explosive), I will argue to the death that AMC's real gem is Breaking Bad. The show's first season (slightly truncated by the writers' strike) was some great viewing, but this year is truly where the series kicked it up several notches. Now that The Shield is no longer with us, Breaking Bad has effortlessly replaced it in terms of white-knuckle intensity and moral quagmires. The show's freaky imagery, from the haunting recurring image of that pink teddy bear to seeing Danny 'Machete' Trejo's severed head on a tortoise, is bold. But more than anything else, Breaking Bad gives us TV's best acting performance, bar none, from Bryan Cranston. As his high-school chemistry teacher cements his reputation the meth kingpin of the Southwest, he ends up falling further into his own personall hell... and watching him get there is a sight to behold.

Dollhouse: Episode Six onward

When Joss Whedon's fourth TV series Dollhouse premiered on Fox on Valentine's Day weekend, it had to contend with numerous stories of production troubles, including massive behind-the-scenes tinkering on behalf of the network. But, once the Fox-friendly episodes were aired and out of the way, what we started to see was a rather inventive series that really started to make the most of its premise that humans could be programmed to be, well, anyone. A game cast of regulars (as well as guest appearances by Whedon alumni such as Alan Tudyk, Amy Acker and Summer Glau) have worked very hard to make the most of the show's concept, and the stories and twists have increasingly delved into the moral implications of tinkering with humanity. In particular, the six most recent episodes that were burned off this December were absolutely phenomenal, which makes me somewhat sad that there are only three episodes left, which will air in January. Heck, I've even got a Dollhouse poster hanging on my living room wall now... and probably now more than ever, I can defend its presence. :-) (Note: For Firefly fans who haven't tuned into Dollhouse, you really should. Although it's not as fun as Firefly, it's well worth the watch, especially if you enjoy seeing Firefly cast members - like the two I've mentioned above.)

Eastbound and Down: Season One

It's always a risk to center a TV series around a brutally unlikeable character. Sometimes, it reaps big success (obvious example: House). More often than not, however, TV audiences don't learn to appreciate these types of characters, which leads to a miserable failure of a run. Which brings us to Kenny F***ing Powers, a disgraced former baseball star who brashly clings onto his past fame, even as he takes a rather humiliating job as a middle school gym teacher. In the hands of star Danny McBride and creator Jody Hill, they make Kenny Powers an incredibly repugnant has-been... but that's also where the show generates much of its humor from. The entire season is a twisted riff on the road-to-redemption arc, which takes us to some horrifying places (for example, the batting showcase at Will Ferrell's auto dealership). Plus, the glimpses at Powers' past life (including the instant-classic excerpts from his audiobook You're F***ing Out, I'm F***ing In) are well-executed, too. I'm very curious where this show will go in its second and final season, due spring 2010. (Note: Shortly after season one finished airing, co-creator Jody Hill gave us the similarly-themed Observe and Report, which really crashed and burned at the box office because of its unrepentantly dark humor.)

Friday Night Lights: The 2009 episodes

I've grown to love Friday Night Lights because I think it comes closer to replicating the small-town experience better than any other series I've seen (or will ever see, for that matter). It's also a very grounded drama, and as a result, it hits some very high emotional peaks. The nine episodes that have aired this year exemplify this in spades. The first episode of 2009 was a bittersweet state championship episode; even though the episode was a bit more downbeat, the ending (Coach's pep talk, and Riggins' after-the-game moment on the playing field) was trememdous. The spring-centered second episode (the Season 3 finale) really displays the show's sense of community, and how the show delivers on so many levels without having to rely on football. This fall's Season 4 episodes have certainly relied on football to an extent, as Coach Taylor slowly works to raise up a football team from scratch; but, there's still lots of human drama, as displayed in the gutwrenching episode in which Matt Saracen tries to comprehend the death of his father. If you have DirecTV, it's well worth tuning in for the remainder of Season 4 in the weeks to come; otherwise, NBC will air Season 4 this summer.

Glee: The first 13 episodes

In making this list, I tried to think of the best new TV series of the fall. This season's new sci-fi entries (the V remake, Flashforward) have been quite poor, and of this season's comedies, I've found both Community and Modern Family enjoyable (although I easily think Community is the better of the two). But the first batch of episodes for Fox's musical-comedy-drama Glee have hit some astounding highs, so I'm giving it a spot on my list. Certainly, the idea of putting a musical on TV is very risky (anybody remember Hugh Jackman's Vegas-musical TV show Viva Laughlin?), and setting it in high school automatically invoked comparisons to Disney's High School Musical franchise. Fortunately, Glee is as far from High School Musical as you can get, thanks to the creative oversight of Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy. Nip/Tuck made it very evident that Murphy knows how to use music to maximum effect, and it shows in Glee's music sequences, which use astonishingly long camera takes (by television standards). With winning renditions of popular music (no original songs to be found here) and a wicked sense of humor (most of it courtesy of Jane Lynch's villianous cheerleading coach), Glee has set itself apart from the rest of this fall's new series. And sure, while I'm upset that I have to wait until April for the next batch of episodes, I have no doubt that I'll be entertained. (Plus, having Glee air after American Idol is a perfect scheduling fit.)

Lost: Fun with time travel

The penultimate season of Lost wasn't a complete success, in my opinion. Ultimately, I couldn't have cared less about the whole "We have to go back!" plot involving the Oceanic Six. Maybe under different circumstances, I would have liked it... but Season 5's on-the-island activities eclipsed it in such a way that it just paled. As Sawyer, Juliet, and the other Losties violently zipped back and forth in time, we learned much about the island's past... but when we finally landed in the 1970s, things really revved up. Our heroes did the unthinkable and joined the Dharma Initiative, and even though the show ascribed to a "whatever happened, happened" theory of time travel, there was always the slight possibility that they could potentially change history... and in the process, affect the entire series as we've known it. Given the season finale's explosive ending... well, there's still a chance that the final season of Lost may be markedly different from what we've been accustomed to... but alas, we won't know until February.

The Office: The Michael Scott Paper Company episodes

Sure, some people would rather rave about the hour-long Niagara Falls wedding episode from October... but these four episodes from April were amazing, especially considering the risks they took in shaking up the series as we've known it. The mere idea of having Michael Scott abandon Dunder-Mifflin to set up his own paper supply company could have been a jump-the-shark moment for the show... but instead, it became a very charming run of shows that saw several of our characters really work together as a team. It provided an easy way to work B.J. Novak back into the storyline (as he had spent the past several months filming Inglourious Basterds in Europe), and provided the perfect opportunity to see our beloved Pam Beesly advance her way up the corporate ladder. It all culminated in the epic negotiation episode (directed by Steve Carell), which provided an awesome and emotional payoff. Man, just writing about these episodes makes me want to get a plastic tub of cheeseballs right now.

True Blood: The Fellowship of the Sun

The second season of True Blood basically splits up into two parts. On one hand, we were forced to suffer through lengthy orgy sequences on a weekly basis, no thanks to local Maenad Maryann (Michelle Forbes). As one of the most inert and dull plotlines I've seen on a TV series this year, I was quite dismayed. However, the other half of the series - in which several of our heroes take on the anti-vampire Fellowship of the Sun church - was a shining example of True Blood's greatest strength: its engaging depiction of a world in which humans and vampires are forced to co-exist. These episodes gave us some of the show's most interesting characters, from conflicted preacher's wife Sarah Newlin to the mythical vampire Godric. The only problem with this plotline? It wrapped up in episode nine... which meant we had three more weeks of stupid orgies to sit through. Still, I'll take what I can get.

24: Day 7

When 24 premiered its long-delayed seventh season in January 2009, fans were well aware of the show's numerous struggles. For one, the writers toyed with (and scrapped) several ideas for the season's main plot, resulting in months of production delays. Then, Kiefer Sutherland was arrested for a DUI, which resulted in him having to serve a 48-day jail sentence. Finally, the writers' strike caused Fox to delay 24 for an entire year (allowing Kiefer to serve his jail time during the strike). Given all that, it's amazing that Day 7 of 24 turned out as seamless as it did... and it's downright miraculous how awesome the season as a whole played out. Part of the season's success can be credited to how the show played with its major tenets, specifically how the series' longtime love affair with torturing terrorists for information. Even areas which initially seemed ridiculous (like the resurrection of Tony Almeida, or the late-in-the-game appearance of Kim Bauer) were handled extremely well. It does set a very high level of expectations for the eighth-season premiere in January 2010... but I feel very confident that the show will turn out just fine.

Honorable Mentions: Saturday Night Live's hilarious non-sequitur "What Up With That?" sketches; Barney Stinson's video resume on How I Met Your Mother; the always-freaky cold openings on Fringe; "Bazinga!" and other assorted Sheldonisms on The Big Bang Theory.

The 3:00 AM Review (Special Procrastination Edition): "Angels & Demons"

2009-05-19T23:17:00.002-05:00

[Note: I failed to post this last Friday morning, because I had finished typing it at 4:00 AM, and I was absolutely tired. So here you go. For my first Project Summer post, I hope to type up some thoughts on my first-ever viewing of The Da Vinci Code, which was last Tuesday (the 12th). I also hope to elaborate a bit on how both of the Robert Langdon movies compare to each other. Also, my apologies in advance for the potential incompetency of my review. Like I alluded to above, I wrote this between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM last Friday morning. So make of it what you will.]

Ron Howard and Tom Hanks reunite for their second Robert Langdon screen adventure, following 2006's The Da Vinci Code. But how do they compare? Well, as simply as I can put it, they're wildly different types of movies... but that doesn't make one necessarily better than the other. Da Vinci was primarily about its theories, purported conspiracies, and symbology insights, but the main focus of Angels is action and suspense, as Langdon races across Vatican City and Rome, not only to save kidnapped cardinals targeted for murder, but also to retrieve a canister of dangerous antimatter. It's because of these tasks that the movie proceeds at an unrelenting pace; the majority of the movie takes place during a six-hour period, and Howard displays the current time as often as an episode of 24. Da Vinci had a much more relaxed pace, as it took its time to explain its historical theories; Demons trims down its history lessons and crams them in between action sequences, with walk-and-talks so hectic that you'd think Ron Howard was trying to one-up Aaron Sorkin. Granted, while the pacing of Angels is different than Code, it has the advantage of being a lot more consistent than before; one problem I had with Da Vinci was that it shifted awkwardly between theory and expositional scenes and action beats. (Also markedly different in Demons, compared to Code: the camerawork, which moves around at breakneck speed. Sometimes, I wondered if I was watching Michael Bay's Angels & Demons. ;) ) Along those lines, Howard forgoes many of the more unique (or dare I say, risky) storytelling tricks that he used in Da Vinci in order to generate a more streamlined summer blockbuster, or perhaps even to combat some of the negative critical reception of Code. Gone are the elaborate flashbacks throughout history, which is somewhat understandable, as Angels is a movie about the here-and-now. Also gone is one of my favorite aspects of the first movie: the eye-catching visualizations of Langdon's thought process. While the movie's immediacy may have played a part in its elimination, I thought this aspect was rather unique and mesmerizing, and it still could have been used nicely in this installment. To his credit, though, Howard does handle the movie's locations extremely well, especially considering all the important places that they didn't get access to and had to 'fake' (like St. Peter's Square). I think one of the major improvements of Demons is the handling of Robert Langdon himself. Unlike the first movie, Tom Hanks actually has some character material to work with this time, as he's confronted to explain his beliefs, and as he has to work through his already-strained relationship with the Catholic Church. (Part of this has to do with how writers Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp turned Angels into a Da Vinci sequel, even though Demons is the first book in the series.) Plus, Hanks isn't saddled with a mullet this time. :) Stepping into the leading lady role this time is Ayelet Zurer (best known as Eric Bana's wife in Munich), as a scientist working with antimatter at the Large Hadron Collider. Her role, while significant, isn't as major as Audrey Tautou's, especially since this movie actually separates Zurer and Hanks for a sizeable portion of screen time. As the acting head of state, Ewan McGregor gives a performance that's relatively engaging. However, I must say that the movie really starts falling apart during the action climax (involving a helicopter). Granted, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief on my part to make it through both of these Robert Langdon movies, but during the climax, I found myself saying, "Yeah, right!" I don't want to spoil anything, but I assure you: you'll know it when you see it. All told, Angels & Demons pretty much takes the opposite approach of The Da Vinci Code, fixing some of the first movie's problems while introducing a set of its own that Code didn't have. If Howard eventually makes the third Robert Langdon movie, perhaps he'll take what worked from Da Vinci and what worked from Demons, and actually make an undeniably good movie out of those elements. But until then...

Star Rating: 3/5

The 3:00 AM Review (Special 12:00 AM Edition): "Star Trek"

2009-05-07T23:42:00.002-05:00

[Note: Thanks to Paramount moving up the start time of Star Trek to 7:00 PM Thursday, I can post this review at a somewhat sensible time of day; hence the 'Special 12:00 AM Edition'. Enjoy!]

The financial coffers of Paramount Pictures, the wrath of hard-core Trekkies, and the strength of the summer movie season all rely on whether J.J. Abrams can successfully reinvigorate the 43-year-old Star Trek franchise from its recent funk. As surprising as it may seem, he's done a commendable job. In fact, I'd say this eleventh Trek film is the most fun I've had in a theater in 2009... even though it's only early May. I should be careful in my wording here, as this is technically not a 'reboot', like many other movie franchises have done recently. I shan't say too much why that is, but I will say that this movie manages to fit in with the events of the original Star Trek series' universe. Watching this movie, I got a lot of the same vibes that I had when I first watched the 2006 Casino Royale; like that movie, writers Roberto J. Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, the Transformers movies) manage to take most, if not all, of the familiar hallmarks of TOS (among them: mind melds, Vulcan nerve pinches, and even the obligaotory red shirts) and weave them effortlessly (and sometimes, very subtly) into the storyline. Even more impressive, there's a fair amount of time spent on the characters themselves, and not so much on the overarching plot. Obviously, Kirk and Spock's origins are front and center, but the rest of the classic characters get time to shine, too - even if it's only for a scene or two. A lot of the aforementioned fun comes from Chris Pine's portrayal of Kirk; you're definitely not going to hear any stilted Shatner-esque speeches from him, but you'll quickly recognize Kirk's penchant for the ladies and his fearless ways. As Spock, Sylar - I mean, Zachary Quinto - anchors the film's more serious moments reasonably well, as he attempts to accept and deal with his dual heritages. The rest of the cast really seem to embrace their characters, from Karl Urban's McCoy to the late-in-the-game appearance of Simon Pegg as Scotty. (Heck, I never thought I'd see a John Cho (as Sulu) action sequence, let alone enjoy it!) And as for the mid-movie appearance of Leonard Nimoy? Well, I couldn't help but be riveted to the screen. Yes, it may come off as fan service, but Abrams and company handle it in an extremely endearing manner. As for the action itself? Well, there's only a few major action sequences, but they're quite adventurous and carry incredibly high stakes. The pre-title battle sequence, involving Kirk's parents, manages to deftly blend action and high emotion. But, for all the risks that Abrams takes in updating the franchise, some decisions tend to be more jarring than successful; the 'Sabotage' cue that occurs early on just seems out of place to me. And I would've liked more screen time for the supporting cast; now that all the setup stuff is out of the way, I hope the inevitable sequel can fix that. But when all is said and done, the new Star Trek is one heck of a crowd-pleaser, and I think Trekkies and non-Trekkies alike will be satisfied with the end product. At the very least, it's better than Wolverine. :)

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Project Summer: An Introduction

2009-05-04T00:04:00.002-05:00

Well, that worked out pretty well.

If you scroll down this page (past the Wolverine review), you’ll find that my previous blog post is dated 1/3/2009. I’m glad to see that I can’t make good on my promises worth a squat. (Of course, I’m relatively certain that nobody read that post to begin with, so we’re still good.) Looking at my Blue Cherry-centric Word document, I found an unfinished “Best of 2008” list that is a bit useless these days (although I could find a way to repurpose some of the content). All in all, the reboot was a spectacular failure.

Now, I can certainly assure you that I wasn’t taking a break from popular culture, by any means. So far in 2009, I’ve taken in 17 movies at the local theaters. They cover the entire range of the filmic spectrum, from The Wrestler to Twilight. (For those of you who’ve friended me on Facebook, you’re no doubt aware of this.) Plus, there’s the workload of television I’ve valiantly kept up with this year – which has made me hope and wish for the first time that networks would cancel as many of the shows that I watch as possible. (Looking at what’s already been picked up so far for next fall, it looks like I’m not going to win.) Fortunately, my network television viewing schedule shuts down on May 18th (or May 19th, if I go ahead and watch the pilot for Ryan Murphy’s Glee). The $64,000 question is: What will I do then?

Well, obviously, I have plans to take in as many big summer movies as possible. My calendar so far includes: Wolverine (which I’ve already seen), Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Terminator: Salvation, Up, Drag Me to Hell, The Hangover, Transformers 2, Public Enemies, Bruno, Funny People, Inglourious Basterds, Final Destination 4, H2, and probably a couple more that I’m forgetting. But obviously, that will only take up a few hours each week, on average. I’ve also got at least one vacation planned, and a potential move. But, I’m hoping to find a decent way to occupy my time.

So, over the past few weeks, I’ve come up with a relatively cool solution. My goal this summer is to watch as much of my growing Blu-ray collection as I can. I’ve been accumulating discs for low, low prices over the past several months, but I haven’t found the time to watch much of them. So, I shall watch them, and I will write about them here. Thus, I’ll accomplish two goals: I’ll work through my backlog of movies, and I’ll actually have a steady stream of content to publish to my blog.

I hope to intersperse other content with my Project Summer writings, such as my hastily written movie reviews. For those who aren’t aware, I’m a big fan of midnight and advanced screenings of movies, which is why you’ll usually find me at the Century 14 on late Thursday nights. Since I prefer to write my movie reviews immediately following these screenings, this usually means that I’m up until 3:00-3:30 in the morning to plop down my initial reactions. Plus, that will hopefully encourage me in my quest to continue producing blog content.

Here are some of the specifics of my so-called-plan:

In the interest of keeping things as unpredictable as possible, much of what I’ll be watching will be picked at random, using a rudimentary program for cataloging my collection that I wrote in 2003 during my college time. I could pull up anything from Children of Men to Failure to Launch, so this could be a summer of excellence or a summer of masochistic torture. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Brand-new movies that I haven’t seen yet will be given the standard review treatment. Recent movies from the past couple of years, which I have formally reviewed already, will contain my initial reviews from when I first saw the movie, followed by updated comments and re-evaluations. (I know there are several movies that I’ve become less impressed with over time, so hopefully that should make for some interesting reading.)
It’s very possible that some of the movies picked at random will be well-known older movies, or personal favorites. For me, the trick with these flicks will be to find some unique angle or angles from which I can write about these movies. I don’t know exactly how this will work, but we’ll find a way.
With regards to TV series over the summer, I have some very specific plans. Namely, I am hoping to burn through my Blu-ray season sets of Dexter and Mad Men. For Mad Men, my goal is simple: watch both seasons in time to tune into the third-season premiere sometime in July or August. (I was hoping to do this last summer in time for Season Two, but I kept pushing it off. The fact that we didn’t have AMC in HD also influenced matters. But, we finally got AMC HD in December 2008, so now I have a much greater incentive to pull this off.) Likewise, I hope to make it through all three seasons of Dexter; I already have Season One on my shelf, and I will be picking up Season Two this Tuesday. My hope would be to time my viewings of the first two seasons around the time that Season Three will be released (hopefully August). However, I have no immediate plans to tune into Showtime for Season Four. (Let’s face it: for all their awesome original series, their movie selections are crap. That’s why I’m an HBO man.) When writing up on TV shows like these, my approach will be to evaluate them as entire seasons, not episode-by-episode. This will allow me to elaborate more easily on the broad canvas that television series have, namely their narrative goals.

So there you have it. My goal is to kick this shindig off on May 19th or 20th, with perhaps some preview posts to whet your appetites. Let’s hope this goes somewhat better than my January plans.

The 3:00 AM Review: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

2009-05-03T23:54:00.002-05:00

Note: In an attempt to fill my blog with content, I am reposting my "Wolverine" review, which I posted on Facebook at 3:26 AM on May 1, 2009. For more information on my theatrical movie reviewing, please consult the "Project Summer: An Introduction" review above.

So, you're 20th Century Fox. You have a very lucrative X-Men movie franchise, but you can't afford to shell the mega-bucks to reunite the A-list ensemble cast for X-Men 4. Solution? Devise as many X-Men-related spinoffs as you can. For their first effort, they've taken the easy route by developing a movie around the movies' most popular character, Wolverine. By re-enacting his origin story, they've created a guaranteed blockbuster to kick off the summer movie season. But how does it stack up? At the very least, Hugh Jackman does what he's expected to do here, giving audiences everything they expect from Wolverine. (The adamantium claws! The stogies! The sideburns!) For a Wolverine solo vehicle, he's come ready to play. (Plus, for the ladies, there's ample opportunities to swoon for Hugh, from the Obligatory Romantic Subplot scenes in Act 1 to a few moments of Wolverine streaking through the wilderness, complete with PG-13-level nudity.) As Logan's brother, Victor (aka Sabretooth), Liev Schreiber makes a good, intimidating villian, although his turn to the dark side isn't really justified. One minute, he's protecting his little kid brother, and the next, he's flipped the switch and attempts to massacre and rape the Vietnamese. Okey-dokey... As for the host of other mutants, most of which are making their first screen appearances: this movie doesn't overkill us with too many characters (*cough*The Last Stand*cough*), but hardly any of them are decently fleshed out, preventing them from actually making a significant impact to the movie. Example: Gambit (Taylor Kitsch, best know as Riggins on TV's Friday Night Lights) shows up, throws some cards in New Orleans, disappears right before the big action finale, and shows up briefly afterwards. If that weren't enough, most of the new mutants show up only to be murdered as part of Victor's evil rampage, so that doesn't help matters. Even the long-awaited appearance of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is underwhelming, as he bookends the movie with some ultimately insignificant contributions. Since this a summer blockbuster, you can rest assured that there's tons of action, from the opening credits (which depict Logan and Victor's many tours of duty throughout history) to a climax set at, of all places, Three Mile Island. There's so much fighting, exploding, and clawing to get the summer movie season started. The rare non-action sequences are a bit awkward, if only because the movie's tonal shifts don't work so well, namely the aforemented romance scenes and some bits that are played totally for laughts (such as Wolverine's bathroom scene and the Blob boxing scene). Probably the most disappointing thing about the movie is the ending: it just doesn't feel very satisfying, partially because it's a prequel (and therefore we know the fates of Wolverine and Stryker), partiallly because it resolves some 'X2' continuity in an awkward manner by giving Wolverine amnesia(!), and partially because it makes you say, 'That's it? That's all there is?' Basically, it's a flawed movie, but it's not horrible by any means, and it will get moviegoers by until the next X-Men movie. (Just as a disclaimer: I didn't think The Last Stand was a complete trainwreck, either. But it did have some flaws, that's for sure.) The real litmus test, audience-wise, is going to be the next X-Men flick; if Fox actually goes forward with the Magneto origin movie, will they pull off the first successful summer blockbuster about Auschwitz? We'll see. Until then, enjoy Wolverine! (P.S.: Why would adamantium bullets hurt Wolverine, if his skeleton is primarily adamantium itself? Hmm.) (P.P.S. Stick through the credits for two minor Easter eggs: the first appears shortly after the start of the end credits; the second shows up at the very, very end.)

(Note: After I wrote this review, I found out about the multiple Easter Egg after-credits scenes attached to various prints. For the record, I got the ending with Wolverine in Japan. I had to YouTube the Deadpool ending.)

Star Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Blue Cherry v2.0: An Introduction

2009-01-03T22:37:00.001-06:00

Hello. If you’re reading this post, then welcome to Blue Cherry. (Or, if you’re one of those twelve people who’ve been here before, welcome back.) As 2009 starts up, I’ve decided to do something incredibly crazy and nearly insane: I’m going to try and reboot my blog-like Web site, Blue Cherry. I hope this lasts.

Here’s the backstory: I started Blue Cherry in April 2005 to try and take hold of the geeky-hip trend of starting a blog. However, given that I have absolutely no interest in actually talking about myself (or at least in a serious manner), I quickly veered my blog into a venue for talking about various aspects of pop culture. The site succeeded for approximately a year, as I continually posted about new DVD releases, bullet-point lists of TV series observations, and other ridiculous and self-serving pieces of the written word. Then I got bored, sleepy, or just plain ignorant, and I gave up.

So why have I decided to get back into the blogging saddle? Well, there are several reasons, actually. For one, I’ve become increasingly intrigued by Internet pop culture writing. (On the right-hand column, you’ll find links to several excellent sites, such as the A.V. Club, Roger Ebert’s review site/blog, and James Berardinelli’s Web site, Reelviews.) Also, I’ve been cultivating my writing skills on, of all sites, Facebook, by doing short movie write-ups on the Flixster movie application. I don’t know if my writing skills have improved, but I do know that I’m a heck of a lot more verbose as time has gone on. Finally, I just feel that I need to do some writing, and this provides the most straightforward venue to do so. A lot of people have talked about how the Internet has somewhat destroyed the art of criticism: that anybody with a keyboard can now espouse their opinions and what-not. Personally, I don’t care that much about who reads the stuff on this site or whether they agree with me; I’d just like to write about stuff I find interesting. In fact, the only people who know about this site are the ones that have actually accessed this site. So there.

As part of this reboot, I’ve decided to do the unthinkable: I’ve completely removed all the previous posts from Blue Cherry (100 total posts, actually). Now, before you start referring to me as George Lucas, I’d just like to say that I felt that this would be the best way to bring a fresh start to the blog. I knew that a good chunk of my prior writings (such as those bullet-point TV series posts) would hardly be relevant in this day and age. Plus, this allows me to start over with my posting style, in terms of tone, content, and the like.

Anyways, I’ve got a few ideas cooking in my head for some initial blog posts, and they will hopefully come to fruition post-haste. So, if you’re interested, please feel free to come on by and check stuff out every now and then. If you don’t care, then thanks for stopping by just this once. And if I stop posting again, then please hurl as many insults at me as you can. Other than that, enjoy!