It Doesn’t End Here

18 Jul

For some reason, I never did get into the whole Harry Potter phenomenon. I only read the first book from start to finish, and have only seen the first and third movies. On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being muggle and 10 being wizard, I’d probably be a 3. But being a pop culture junkie and a sucker for hype, not to mention an avid reader of Entertainment Weekly, I felt not just obligated to see the final film in the series, but mildly prepared — no matter what my more obsessive fan friends said. And I’ve gotta say, even without all the background or emotional investment, I still thought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was great. So there!

Epic, intense, and really violent, HP7.5 is all about what the entire series has (apparently) been building to: The showdown between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe, who has grown into a very nice actor) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the evil wizard who killed Harry’s parents. Nearly the entire staff and student body of Hogwarts is on alert, and ready to defend the school and stand beside Harry. Talk about loyalty under difficult circumstances. This is no ordinary children’s movie.

I can’t pretend to appreciate HP7.5 on any level other than as a self-contained film, but on that level, it succeeds wildly. The story builds nicely, the stakes feel real (even if the whole thing’s a fantasy and we know who will win), the effects are convincing, and the acting all around is impressive. I can’t say I feel compelled after seeing HP7.5 to go back and watch the other five films I missed, but I didn’t feel lost during this movie either. This one is satisfying on its own, and definitely worth seeing, even if you’re like me and haven’t seen all the others.

Harry Potter is the boy who lived (no spoiler there), and based on how good the final film in the series is, I’m sure he’ll live on a whole lot longer. I’m giving Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 a B+.

Front Page

12 Jul

Despite the fact that I work at an online company producing online content, and I’m a blogger and a tweeter, and I certainly spend more than my share of time tooling around the web, truth be told I still consider myself an “old media” guy.

It’s certainly convenient and easy to find information and read articles online, but that doesn’t compare to the tactile feeling of holding a newspaper or magazine in your hands and flipping through the pages.

Reading an article online often doesn’t come with the same design and layout, and it’s certainly not as permanent as an actual printed piece of media.

So the new documentary Page One is a movie right up my alley. Continue reading →

Not Horrible At All

11 Jul

Apparently, there are some people in the world who don’t like their job.

Imagine that.

These people are either going to really love Horrible Bosses, or cringe because it just hits too close to home.

In the film, three friends played by Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day, plot to kill their bosses because, well, those bosses are horrible people.

They’re overbearing, they’re abusive, they stifle growth, they demean, they’re disrespectful, they sexually harass, they insult … and that’s for starters.

To avoid getting caught, Nick, Kurt, and Dale (Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day’s characters, respectfully) take a cue from Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train and plot to murder each other’s boss.

But nothing goes as planned, of course. Continue reading →

Chicago, I Love You

5 Jul

It’s official: I love Chicago.

I mean, I love Boston a little bit more.

But in a head to head competition, these days I may have a tough time picking between the two cities.

If I ever left Boston for good (and I have no plans to do that), I’d make a beeline to Chicago. That’s just how I feel after a fantastic long (and yet still too short) weekend in the Windy City.

It was my annual July 4 trip to Chicago, which means I also spent time in Michigan City, Indiana. Combined, it was just awesome. Continue reading →

4th of July Pops Concert Could Be Better

5 Jul

Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy few things more than watching the Boston Pops and the fireworks on July 4th.

Which is why it’s a shame that I hadn’t been down to the Charles in so long to see it live. Last night I corrected that, and got a chance to introduce my friends Justine and Nick to the awesomeness as well.

Seriously, no city in America (as if the “in America” part really needs to be said) does July 4th festivities like Boston does.

None.

I’ve seen the New York fireworks. They’re big, but that’s all they are. And they don’t have the Pops.

So there.

But here’s the thing: While I love the fact that the whole country gets to watch some of the show, I do think the national broadcast is what’s wrong with July 4th in Boston. Continue reading →

Mercy Mercy Me

30 Jun

In Larry Crowne, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts team up to save the world from an invasion of alien robots. And it’s all in 3-D!

No, not really. In this modern-day dramedy, Hanks stars as the title character, who gets laid off from his job at a Target-like big box retailer because his lack of a college degree makes him unpromotable (he opted for the Navy when he was 18). To right the wrong, and help his future prospects, he enrolls in a community college, where he meets (and falls for) his speech professor, played by Roberts.

I call Larry Crowne a “modern-day” dramedy because the film has a plot that reflects the current reality of so many people who’ve been laid off from their jobs. And yet, Larry Crowne also feels like “The Bad Economy for Dummies,” because it is such a feel-good, accessible film that you don’t really worry about the main character because you know everything’s gonna be alright.

As if that’s not enough, there are lame references to “new media” and use of terminology like “knockers.” Plus, you’ve got Hanks and Roberts in the leads (and on a motor scooter) and a soundtrack that’s heavy on boomer-favorite Tom Petty.

Oh, and there’s a happy ending too where (spoiler) the two main characters fall in love. Suffice it to say, this isn’t Up in the Air or The Company Men. Continue reading →

Conan the Destroyer

27 Jun

Last year, when Conan O’Brien was (unfairly) fired as the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, he didn’t take it very well.

Viewers saw that in the days and weeks leading up to his last show, as he piled on the jokes at his soon-to-be-ex-employer’s expense.

And those of us who saw O’Brien’s Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour got a taste of that too, as each show included a few jabs at NBC and a bunch of self-deprecating jokes about the situation.

But behind the scenes was an even angrier person, and in the new documentary Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, we get a chance to see a little more of that side. Continue reading →

The Big Man Was a Friend of Mine

19 Jun

Clarence Clemons was known as the Big Man, largely because — at 6 feet, 5 inches tall and 270-plus pounds — he was literally a big man.

But the nickname was appropriate because, on stage, Clarence had a presence that was bigger than life.

He wasn’t showy or over the top like some other rock stars — including his bandleader and friend, Bruce Springsteen. But he was always cool, always just to Bruce’s right, waiting to pick up his sax and do his thing.

And when Clarence got up to play … Wow.

This man of few words, this gentle giant, let his instrument do all the talking. When Clarence took center stage for one of his solos, it was a transcendent experience.

Every time you heard “Jungleland” live, it was awe-inspiring. Stunning. Powerful. An out-of-body experience.

One of my favorite parts of any Springsteen show.

So it goes without saying that the loss of Clarence Clemons Saturday night, due to complications from a stroke one week earlier, was a huge loss — for the music world and for me personally. Continue reading →

Those Good and Crazy People

16 Jun

The truth is, I’m not anti-marriage. One day I hope to find someone I love enough to want to spend the rest of my life with — and hopefully she’ll feel the same way about me. But until that happens, I’m a perpetual third- or fifth-wheel. And admittedly, I go back and forth between being alright about it and yes, being lonely. Kind of like Bobby, the lead character in Stephen Sondheim’s Company.

The classic musical, one of my all-time favorites, was recently revived in New York with a cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Patti LuPone, Jon Cryer, and Christina Hendricks, and for a brief time, you can watch a recording of those performances on the big screen. Continue reading →

Six Degrees of Mutants

15 Jun

The superhero prequel X-Men: First Class imagines a reality in which mutants, led by Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), played a critical role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Fascinating stuff, and a pretty cool concept. It’s the execution here that’s the problem, and I hold Kevin Bacon to blame. Cast in the role of scientist and fellow mutant Sebastian Shaw, Bacon is worse than a villain; he’s someone you don’t even like watching. Oscar nominee (for Winter’s Bone) Jennifer Lawrence has the opposite problem; she doesn’t make much of an impact as Mystique, the shape-shifter who will grow up to look like Rebecca Romijn. The action and special effects here are cool, and I did like the revisionist history angle. But the metaphors were less a turnoff when they were more subtle, like in the second X-Men movie (seems no one learned from the last X-Men film). So I’m giving X-Men: First Class a B.

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