The Time of the Season

16 Mar

Driving home from work tonight, with the sun shining, my sunglasses on, the window down, traffic moving well, and my radio playing loudly (song of choice: Owl City’s “Fireflies“), I was reminded of just how much I love this time of year. And sure, it’s easy to be happy when three days of heavy rain have just ended, but it’s more than that. It’s the confluence of the changed weather, a bright sun, Daylight Savings Time, and warmer temperatures that just make me so happy this time of year. And … It’s the start of baseball season. It’s the opening of the ice cream stand at Pizzi Farm. It’s the impending arrival of golf season. It’s the reappearance of runners and bikers up and down Comm Ave. It’s … alright, fine, it’s mostly the increased sunlight and the warmer temperatures after a long, cold winter.

And it’s the happier mood of everyone around me too. How they all seem to come out of their winter cocoons all at once. Where I work, on days like today, the sun just shines on us through the window at 3 p.m. and practically blinds us — despite the shades. (Seriously. Someone today told me he had broken a sweat.) All of a sudden, there’s a buzz in the air. More people are laughing. People can’t sit still. No one is working. After all, it’s hard to concentrate when you know it’s so nice outside. There are so many other places you’d rather be.

So as we begin a stretch of days where the high temperatures are going to be in the 60s and the forecast is calling for a lot of sun, I hope I’m not jumping the gun tooooo much by wishing you a very Happy Spring. Woo hoo!

The Odd Couple

15 Mar

She’s Out of My League comes from a long line of dweeb-gets-the-girl comedies, and like its predecessors, it’s got a totally unbelievable and completely predictable story arc. In this case, geeky TSA officer Kirk (Jay Baruchel) meets hot-chick Molly (Alice Eve) when she leaves her iPhone behind after going through security before a flight. He returns it to her, and much to his surprise (and the surprise of his friends and family), she’s interested in him. Will Kirk’s insecurities (and her more attractive ex) get in the way of his happiness? (What do you think?)

Alright, enough synopsis. This is not the kind of film where you get bogged down in plot details. After all, the second you start questioning things, that’s the sign that this isn’t the film for you. Rather, it comes down to casting and chemistry, and I’m sorry to say, this film doesn’t have it.

In other roles, Baruchel has been more engaging, but here, he is a guy so gawky and geeky and awkward, that you’ll find yourself really wondering, what is this girl doing going out with him? Eve sure is attractive, but that’s about all there is. Let’s be honest: No woman this good looking would ever be this open-minded and tolerant of Kirk or his crude, obnoxious friends and family. Speaking of which, all the other supporting characters don’t have much to make them likable. So, despite some decent chuckles along the way, She’s Out of My League just isn’t in the same league as, say, Knocked Up or The Girl Next Door. This isn’t a dislikable movie, but I’m still only going to give it a 6.5, which (with a slight curve) would translate to a C.

War Is a Drug

14 Mar

If you really want to know what kind of movie The Hurt Locker is, all you need to watch is one scene about a third of the way in, when Army Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) discovers a trunk full of explosives.

Knowing his life could end any minute from now if he doesn’t succeed in his mission to defuse the bombs, he takes off all his protective gear and says to a member of his team, without flinching, “If I’m gonna die, I want to die comfortable.”

That brazen, no-holds-barred attitude permeates Kathryn Bigelow’s award-winning film. Continue reading →

Right to the Source

10 Mar

Green Zone, director Paul Greengrass’ new film, takes us back to those exciting days in 2003 when the Iraq war was just beginning and the search was on for weapons of mass destruction. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) Of course, now we know that there never were any WMDs, but for Roy Miller (Matt Damon), a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army, this is a new discovery — and he’s pissed. The film focuses on Miller’s search for an intelligence source known as Magellan, who was the person who sent the Army on its wild goose chase.

Reuniting Greengrass and Damon for the first time since their Bourne films (and Damon with Greg Kinnear, costars in the Farrelly brothers film Stuck on You), Green Zone is certainly an exciting two hours. Greengrass’ beloved shaky-cam method of filming reflects the chaos of the situation in Iraq, and he keeps the action moving from start to finish. If only the film was less underwritten. Oscar nominee (and erstwhile The Office guest star) Amy Ryan, for example, isn’t given enough to do as a Wall Street Journal reporter. And that shaky-cam stuff does get a bit nauseating. So while Green Zone is a compelling Iraq war action film, I’m only going to give it a B.

It Was Great Fun

7 Mar

All you really need to know about Jamie Cullum is right there in the lyrics of the song “Mixtape,” which appears on his new album The Pursuit.

The song — which name-checks Nine Inch Nails, Louis Armstrong, Morrissey, John Coltrane, Cinematic Orchestra, De La Soul, Thelonious Monk, the Shangri-La’s, and more — indicates the wide range of musical influences that are running ’round Cullum’s head, and which result in a wide-ranging live show, such as the one he put on Saturday night at the House of Blues in Boston.

(And if the list of influential artists doesn’t give away what Cullum’s live shows are like, then the image of an exploding piano on his album cover surely does.) Continue reading →

I’m Rooting for an Upset

5 Mar

I’m really hoping Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are funny on Sunday night, because if they’re not, then this year’s Oscar ceremony will be one giant snoozer.

After another long awards season when so many other trophies have already been handed out (the Golden Globes, SAG, Directors’ Guild, Critics’ Choice, etc.), there’s not a whole lot of suspense left about who’s going to win the Oscars. The top eight major categories (and at least three or four other awards) are already pretty well set.

However, while some may say that means there’s not much incentive to stay up until 12 to see the whole thing, I will definitely be watching until the bitter end — and maybe some post-show coverage too. I’m just not expecting to enjoy it much. Continue reading →

Not So Wonderful

4 Mar

Early on in Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s father tells some colleagues, “Nothing is impossible if you believe it to be possible.”

After seeing this movie, I can now say I believe it’s possible for a Tim Burton movie to be pretty awful.

Less an adaptation of the Lewis Carroll novels than a story based on the characters in them, Alice picks up the action 13 years after Alice has returned home. Now a 19-year-old headstrong young woman, Alice follows the White Rabbit down a hole and thinks nothing of it; she believes her earlier trip to Wonderland was just a dream. Thinking she’s back in a dream, she goes through the motions, quickly reacquainting herself with the Cheshire Cat, Door Mouse, and yes, the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp).

Since she’s been gone, Wonderland (or “Underland,” as it’s called here) has turned into a bleak wasteland, and the Red Queen (a big-headed Helena Bonham Carter) is in charge. Alice’s return means there’s a chance that things can be set right and all can be wonderful again. If only Alice herself seemed a bit more interested in helping out. Continue reading →

Not Over Him Yet

2 Mar

I wish Jamie Cullum made it easier for me.

For the past four months, I’ve been hard-pressed to find one favorite track on his new album, The Pursuit. I started off liking the raucous swinger “You and Me Are Gone” the most, then moved on to first single “I’m All Over It,” then side-tracked to the lovely “Love Ain’t Gonna Let You Down.” If you’d asked me two weeks ago, I might have told you my favorite track was “Mixtape,” but at this present time, it’s actually Jamie’s beautiful cover of “Not While I’m Around,” from Sweeney Todd.

Which is not to say that the other tracks on the album are bad, and nor does it mean I’ve tired of the ones I no longer deem my favorite. It’s just that The Pursuit is such an enjoyable album that I’ll just get stuck on one song or another, and for a time, it’s all I’ll want to listen to. Continue reading →

Movies I’ve Seen (2009 Releases)

1 Mar

Click on the link for my review:

1. HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

2. TWO LOVERS

3. WATCHMEN

4. SUNSHINE CLEANING

5. DUPLICITY

6. I LOVE YOU, MAN

7. FAST & FURIOUS

8. STATE OF PLAY

9. 17 AGAIN

10. THE SOLOIST

11. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

12. STAR TREK

13. THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

14. AWAY WE GO

15. UP

16. THE HANGOVER

17. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3

18. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

19. PUBLIC ENEMIES

20. BRUNO

21. FUNNY PEOPLE

22. JULIE & JULIA

23. PAPER HEART

24. IN THE LOOP

25. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

26. TAKING WOODSTOCK

27. IT MIGHT GET LOUD

28. THE INFORMANT!

29. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS

30. COUPLES RETREAT

31. CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY

32. A SERIOUS MAN

33. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

34. AN EDUCATION

35. THIS IS IT

36. DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL

37. THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS

38. 2012

39. PRECIOUS

40. FANTASTIC MR. FOX

41. UP IN THE AIR

42. INVICTUS

43. BROTHERS

44. IT’S COMPLICATED

45. AVATAR

46. SHERLOCK HOLMES

47. NINE

48. A SINGLE MAN

49. CRAZY HEART

50. THE BLIND SIDE

51. THE HURT LOCKER

You Know You Want to Try It Too

28 Feb

When I saw on CBS’ Sunday Morning today that there was a pancake batter in a can product called Batter Blaster, I was simultaneously horrified, skeptical, and curious. I mean, pancake batter in a can? With a name that sounds more like a comic-book villain? Seriously? But as someone who likes his pancakes (and waffles) on a Sunday morning, I decided I had to do what any other self-(dis)respecting person would do, and try it.

According to the website, Batter Blaster isn’t available everywhere, but it can be found at Stop & Shop (near the eggs and whipped cream), so I went there. Five dollars and a conversation with an amused and excited fellow shopper later, I was home and cooking. The batter (which, by the way, is made mostly with organic ingredients) didn’t come out in the same whipped-cream style that I’d seen on TV (it was much runnier, despite my shaking of the can), and the pancakes might not have been the thickest ones I’ve had, but they were, as advertised, light and fluffy. Tasty too. I was very impressed. So I kept on cooking and had myself a very good breakfast.

And there you go. I’ve learned something today: Pancakes from a can can actually be good. And now, when I want to have pancakes or waffles on a Sunday morning, I don’t have to worry about mixing up the flour and eggs and other stuff. I just have to look in my refrigerator. Score.

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