Sell Out

25 Apr

It’s not exactly breaking news that advertising and marketing is everywhere.

Anyone who’s visited Times Square knows this, as do the millions of viewers who watch American Idol every week. (Seriously, who hasn’t cringed multiple times when seeing the judges drink from their Coca-Cola glasses or the finalists perform in another Ford commercial?)

So Morgan Spurlock’s latest film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold doesn’t exactly shock.

Nor does it present new revelations.

However, it does entertain.

Like his previous film Super-Size Me, Spurlock handles his topic with humor and self-awareness. Continue reading →

You’re Sleeping Your Lives Away

4 Apr

Dear Marc and Ian,

I know how tough it must be to be two months old.

After all, I was a baby once too, and I lived through it with your big sister, Abby.

All you do is sleep, eat, cry, and poop, over and over again. Without even saying what you want, people pamper you and attend to your every need.

Yes, I know. It’s very hard work, and that’s why you’re always sleeping.

But I have to tell you, boys: sleeping all the time means you’re missing out on some really cool stuff. Continue reading →

No Man Can Walk Away from His Own Story

29 Mar

From out of the desert, a man with no name arrives in a run-down town in the Old West.

And though that sounds like the plot of a stereotypical western, Rango takes the cliches and tweaks them.

For one thing, this is no ordinary man; in fact, it’s not a man at all. The title character is a chameleon who can’t blend in because he has such a penchant for sticking out.

And his eccentricities lead to him becoming the sheriff of and savior for a town called Dirt, where the residents are down to their last drop of water. Continue reading →

Accurately Named

28 Mar

The difference between average movies and very good ones usually comes down to one word: characters.

If the filmmakers can’t make you believe that the people on screen are real, that they have actual emotions and feelings, and if you don’t care what happens to them, then chances are good that they’re overcompensating with high-concept gimmicks, lame jokes, or special effects.

There’s no need for such things in Win Win, a film that’s special because it’s got great characters you can’t help but like and root for. Continue reading →

He Can See Clearly Now

21 Mar

Nancy Reagan and South Park‘s Mr. Mackey would not be fans of Limitless, the new movie in which Bradley Cooper takes a drug that makes him smarter, faster … better.

Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a struggling writer in New York, who is introduced to the aforementioned smart pill, and is instantly able to write, predict stocks, outsmart others, dress better, and more. I’d let you predict what happens from there, but to its credit, the film’s plot is not entirely predictable.

Limitless is fast-moving and generally enjoyable, but I’ve gotta admit that it feels a bit too self-aware, like it’s trying too hard to be a hip and cool version of Flowers for Algernon or something.

There are worse ways to spend your time, but I’m only going to give Limitlessa B.

More Free Stuff Thanks to Twitter

1 Mar

You may recall that last summer, I used Twitter to get my entire office free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Aside from it being a great marketing program for Ben & Jerry’s, it was lots of fun for me.

To this day, I use the story as just one reason why I think Twitter is worthwhile. I mean, how can you argue with getting free stuff?

Well, guess what: It’s happened again. Continue reading →

Movies I’ve Seen (2010 Releases)

28 Feb

(click on the link for my review)

1. VALENTINE’S DAY

2. SHUTTER ISLAND

3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND

4. GREEN ZONE

5. SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE

6. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE

7. GREENBERG

8. THE GHOST WRITER

9. DATE NIGHT

10. IRON MAN 2

11. PLEASE GIVE

12. GET HIM TO THE GREEK

13. SOLITARY MAN

14. TOY STORY 3

15. KNIGHT AND DAY

16. GROWN UPS

17. JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK

18. CYRUS

19. DESPICABLE ME

20. INCEPTION

21. SALT

22. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

23. WINNEBAGO MAN

24. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS

25. THE OTHER GUYS

26. THE EXPENDABLES

27. EAT PRAY LOVE

28. PIRANHA 3D

29. THE AMERICAN

30. GOING THE DISTANCE

31. EASY A

32. THE TOWN

33. WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

34. CATFISH

35. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (3x)

36. BURIED

37. WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN”

38. SECRETARIAT

39. IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

40. RED

41. JACKASS 3D

42. WELCOME TO THE RILEYS

43. DUE DATE

44. 127 HOURS

45. MORNING GLORY

46. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

47. BURLESQUE

48. THE FIGHTER

49. BLACK SWAN

50. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS

51. TRON: LEGACY

52. THE KING’S SPEECH

53. LITTLE FOCKERS

54. THE TOURIST

55. SOMEWHERE

56. TRUE GRIT

57. RABBIT HOLE

58. HOW DO YOU KNOW

59. BLUE VALENTINE

60. THE COMPANY MEN

Will Oscar Voters Get Social?

26 Feb

A little more than a month ago, this year’s Oscar ceremony was looking like it’d be a big snooze. Again. Not including the unpredictability of hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco, we knew what was going to happen awards-wise: The Social Network had taken all the major critics prizes and the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture (Drama). It, along with director David Fincher, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, seemed assured of cruising to the Oscars knowing they’d be winners that night too. Same goes for Colin Firth and Natalie Portman, and David Seidler, screenwriter of The King’s Speech.

But then The King’s Speech received 12 Oscar nominations and started winning major guild prizes — including the SAG and DGA — and the tide was turned. But when Social Network won the editors’ guild award, that may have turned the tide back; the editors are a reliable predictor of industry leanings for Best Picture. Now there are fewer sure things, even though pundits everywhere are predicting King’s Speech to win Best Picture. Other races have gotten much closer as well, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. That’s going to make for what I hope is a fun and exciting ceremony.

If you still haven’t cast votes in your own Oscar pool, Firth, Portman, Sorkin, Seidler, Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Feature, and Inception for Best Visual Effects are all good, smart bets. My money’s still on Social Network (my favorite movie of 2010) to win Best Picture, and I’m still pulling for Fincher, Reznor, and Ross to win their categories too. Want to know what else I’m picking? Here’s my ballot:

Yes, I’m really excited about this year’s Oscar show. I saw 60 movies last year. My hopes are high. I wrote a blog post about the Oscars for work. I’m planning to sit in front of the TV starting at around 6 p.m. for all the pre-show coverage, and I’ll likely stay up to catch some post-show action too. (Yes, I’m expecting to be tired on Monday.) Want to know my reactions to what’s happening? I’ll probably be tweeting my thoughts during the show. Oscar night is my Super Bowl, my Election Night, and I’m looking forward to a real prize fight — hoping that The Social Network comes out on top, of course.

Who are you rooting for?

I Love Me

14 Feb

I want to like Valentine’s Day — really, I do — but every year I find new reasons to dislike it. (Last year it was the movie Valentine’s Day. This year it’s the excessive amount of emails being sent by 1-800-FLOWERS and other related businesses.) Being single will do that to you. And yet, I think disliking Valentine’s Day simply because you’re single is sorta lame. After all, there’s no shortage of things on which to shower your love today and every day.

That’s why, over the years, I’ve learned to spend February 14 celebrating the things I love and doing things I love — even if they are by myself. It’s like Crosby, Stills, and Nash said: “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” My thinking is, if everyone else is going to be happy on Valentine’s Day, then why shouldn’t I be happy, too, spending the day with the person I love: me. There’s nothing unrequited there. I’m awesome!

So today, for starters, I might enjoy a good breakfast, I’ll listen to my favorite tunes, perhaps I’ll eat lunch at a favorite restaurant, I’ll go out of my way to spend time with people whose company I enjoy, I’ll definitely try to avoid conflict and negativity, I’ll leave work at a decent hour, possibly I’ll cook myself a nice dinner (or maybe I’ll just skip to dessert from Crumbs, my favorite cupcake place), I’ll likely talk to my niece at some point, I’m sure I’ll watch a favorite television show or two that I enjoy … and then, when I’m tired, I’ll go to bed and sleep a good night’s sleep. I love me some me, and today is as good a day as any to show it.

Whether you have somebody to love or you are in denial like I am don’t, I wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day.

The Last Blog Post

9 Feb

I’ve learned many things from my dad over the years, but the one lesson that’s stayed with me more than any other is this one: Don’t go to bed angry.

On more than one occasion, I’ve seen my dad get angry with someone, and then, almost without fail, before the day was up, he would apologize or clear the air.

Or, at the very least, he compartmentalized those feelings and didn’t let them affect his interactions with me or anyone else.

I haven’t always heeded that lesson, and too often I’ve actually done the opposite (with not so good results), but I’ve kept it in mind as the basis for what I should be doing. Continue reading →

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