Who should be the Riddler?

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So they don't even have a director or a script for the next installment of the Batman series, but rumors have already been buzzing for a while. The two villains on the radar are the Penguin, and the Riddler. Thus far the Riddler seems to be gaining the most traction, and the actor who has been getting the most buzz is Johnny Depp. That rumor has regained momentum with the release of PUBLIC ENEMIES, which co-stars Depp and Batman himself, Christian Bale. But is it the right choice? Could there be someone more interesting? Yes, and yes.

Johnny Depp is great, and he could certainly bring something great to the Riddler, but he may be a little to Johnny Deppy. It happens when you put any huge star into a movie, that you really only see that star. For example, basically any Tom Cruise movie, no matter what the character is named it's still Tom Cruise. And I think this is one thing the the Nolan helmed Batman movies have done is not go for the huge star names for the roles. Bale as Batman, Murphy as the Scarecrow, Eckhart as Two Face, and Ledger as the Joker. Now I'm not saying these actors are not stars, but are fantastic actors who are 100% believable in the parts that they are cast in. You forget about them as celebrities, and I'm just not sure that Depp is in that category. It would be hard to forget that it's Johnny Depp in a Batman movie.

I recently watched REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, which was fantastic even though depressing, and there was a actor in there who I think would be fantastic as the Riddler. You may recognize his face from other movies, or even from the stage as he is a ensemble member of the Red Orchid Theatre here in Chicago. But in the RR movie he played such a oddly controlled maniac, and has the ability to seem normal one second, and totally loose it the next. The actors name is Michael Shannon. So there you go Nolan, Michael Shannon as the Riddler, your welcome. In return I'll just be happy with a speaking role on  the new film. One that would require a weeks work.

Pink Panther 2

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The Pink Panther series has been something that for years has been remade, remixed, and many times ruined. Son of the Pink Panther anyone? But it seems that today's response to remakes is to say, 'why would they do that?' or 'just leave it be.' I agree when the case is The Karate Kid, which is set to be remade with Will Smith's son. However in the case of the Pink Panther, I disagree. First and foremost is that the first actual Pink Panther was not that good. Besides the brilliant Closeau creation by Peter Sellers it was rather boring. Secondly the original run of Panther movies had six in total, and they varied in style and definitely in quality. By the end it just was a chance to see Sellers dress in different costumes and make funny voices. It was that style that they seemed to be inspired by when doing the Steve Martin Pink Panther movies.

Even if this new Panther movies were done exceptionally well I'm not sure that they would catch on. That particular style of comedy is not really on the radar at the moment. Physical humor, and one with almost sketch like characters have taken a back seat in the present Apatow reality based comedies. However we can't really argue this point because these new Panther movies are not that good. They seem to be a bit more worried that they are kid friendly, and will do well in foreign markets. (see big international star names)

This movie does suffer from a ridiculously boring, and easily figured out script. Also it is jam packed with 'stars'. I would really enjoy just seeing Steve Martin and John Cleese go at it. Those two were the two most consistently funny characters in the movie. The business with the assistant is boring, but Jean Reno is a well placed character. I would watch this is you are a fan of the old ones, and a Steve Martin fan. It would really be nice to see them shake the gloss, and the overly pg rating to make a good detective movie with Martin's Closeau at the center. Or even them to go comedic like in the REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER where Dreyfuss, in this played by Cleese, gets out of the pysch ward and tries to kill Closeau.

In the end are these remakes needed? No. But it would be hard to find any comedian who doesn't want to do this character or something like it because it is such a joy. I usually get caught up in it for a day or so afterwards. And it would be hard to find any viewer who wouldn't want to watch. So I guess the question should be, 'If we could make some good Panther movies should we do it? The answer to that is yes. So there you have it MGM studios, go make a good one. And for the record I think 'A Shot in the Dark' is the best Panther movie of them all.

Year One.

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Went to my pre-noon show this morning and checked out YEAR ONE, the new Harold Ramis movie. I say it's the new Harold Ramis movie because that seemed to be the lock behind this film being a solid one. That however, did not work out. 

There were parts of this movie that were funny, parts. It also had some great cameos from Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, and David Cross. And big ups for David Pasquesi for being able to make his appearance in two scenes memorable and coming up with something to do. I can't say the same for Jack Black. He's just Jack Black, bombastic energy combined with being loud, and an abundance of facial expressions. I'm starting to think he may not be suited to be the lead in many of these movies because after a while he just seems to get a bit annoying. Michael Cera plays Michael Cera in this as he has in everything else he has been in. Not to say that it wasn't funny, but not enough to keep interest for 90 mins. Two movies of the past come to mind when thinking of this movie, Mel Brooks' History of the World and Python's Holy Grail. Holy Grail did two things great, first off it was a great satire of the times and religion, and the other was it was just hilarious on top of it all. History of the World was much like Year One. Just a bunch of bits strung together almost like sketches with no overall story to speak of. Many movies have gotten away with such things, but they were also much funnier than this. Year One seemed to rely on dick jokes much more. I have nothing against dick jokes, but they are much better as extra jokes than the sole joke in a scene. 

So I can't recommend seeing this in the theatres, and can only give a maybe to renting it. Go see the HANGOVER instead, and make sure you rent I LOVE YOU MAN first.

The Taking of Pelham 123

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I was really ready for this movie to be not so good, and was actually supposed to be seeing something else instead (Away We Go). I wanted it to be bad so I could say, "I saw the Taking of Pelham 123 this afternoon and they should of called it, The Taking of $18.50."  But THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 was very well done, and entertaining, something not done so much these days.

I was skeptical because there was no buzz on this movie good or bad, John Travolta often picks odd movies, and Tony Scott the director is less than reliable with his 'Tony Scott style.'  Knocking those worries out of the way was a reliable Denzel Washington, good script by Brian Heglegand (LA Confidential, Mystic River), and a solid, brisk, and tense hostage movie. John Travolta does a nice job making his character real, and still having fun being the baddie like he did in Face/Off. Many movies often also suffer when the main two characters are basically doing scenes not in the same place, think BODY OF LIES, however this only builds when these two men are talking to each other and rises until they actually meet. Also benefiting Pelham is the psychology of all of the characters from the Mayor of NYC, to Washington and Travolta's characters. It makes it so much better for a high speed, hijack, hostage movie to have more meat behind it like this does. The tension works and so does the backstory for the characters. A theme of taking, and greed floats around in this movie, and works the best in the end where Washington's character on the road to personal redemption says no to a simple ride in the mayors car as a sign to no longer take.

I have a hard time saying too much bad about this movie. Tony Scott's hyper style in transitions removes a bit from the reality of this story. However the action, and the progression of the story never goes over the top. Same for the acting, especially Washington who has this amazing ability to play it so honest while selecting perfect moments to have major character revelations in his choices. 

It's hard not to suffer from post movie high. Yes, it's a thing. That high you get after you walk out seeing a new big movie on the big screen which clouds your judgement of what you just saw because you are bedazzled by the spectacle. I think I may have suffered it oh so slightly after seeing Terminator Salvation. But in the case of PELHAM 123 I'm trying really hard to make sure it's not a high when I say this is the fourth movie of the summer season you should see. (STAR TREK, UP, THE HANGOVER, and TAKING OF PELHAM 123)

The International

IMPORT

I watched the recently released on dvd, THE INTERNATIONAL. I'm still not sure how to start these. Should I start with the good? Or maybe the bad? Should it depend on the movie, and how good it is? 

Well that didn't help at all. Maybe I should just say what I thought right of the bat. That sounds alright. This movie has a murky plot and antagonist making the interesting idea bland and confusing at best. Naomi Watts is absolutely unneeded, and a bore to watch. However, this C movie may be worth watching just for the 10 minute or so Guggenheim shoot em up scene. This relatively new director does a good job with tense moments, action, and beautiful scenery. Clive Owen also does a serviceable job as he does in most of his films. Again, why is Naomi Watts even in this?

I'm a big supporter of these tense thriller, conspiracy movies. Or 'adult' movies that Hollywood likes to call them. Michael Clayton (one of my all time favs), and State of Play are recent examples. They don't make enough of them in my opinion, they are too busy with shitty horror movies as well as cheer leading comedies. Not helping is the fact that many of these movies are not doing well at the box office, but their meager budgets can easily be overcome via dvd. The International doesn't benefit for either. I would say skip it, but the Guggenheim scene is quite good. All in all this two hour movie feels like 3 hours.

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ITS NEEDS 10 MORE VIEWS TO REACH 4,000!

The Reader.

IMPORT-

I finally saw the Oscar nominated and winning film, THE READER. Kate Winslet won for best supporting actress this past February for her portrayal of Hannah the illiterate Nazi. Sounds like a sitcom character, the illiterate Nazi. I guess Winslet deserved to win?  She is a great actress and I guess if you put her in a awards type movie, time period, nazi WW2, and aging throughout she is bound to get a nom. This coming just after she made fun of this exact type of role in Ricky Gervais' EXTRAS series. (which if you haven't, you must check out.)

The movie starts out with the two main characters Hannah, and Michael missing a lot of clothes and getting it on, and then moves about the later half of the 20th century following Ralph Fiennes' Michael character while he deals with seeing Hannah tried to life in prison, knowing how she could have been partly absolved, and then sending her tapes of books he used to read during their affair. They eventually meet at the end of her sentence as his character has decided to help her adjust to life outside of prison.

None of this movie was jarring and took you from the story, so in that aspect it was fine. The only thing somewhat unbelievable was Hannah saying she couldn't read or write which would have gotten her 4 years in prison versus life. But one of the resonating themes of this movie was how we tend to keep things inside. Hannah did so, as did Michael. Much of the movie didn't really fit together. It really didn't let the character of Hannah go into what she did. Which would seem to be a somewhat powerful thing. Again she kept it inside of her. I think not being clear to what it was saying made this somewhat emotionally detaching when watching it. The ending seemed to say, as Michael opened up to his daughter about his life, to open up to those close to you. Which comes up rather suddenly in the end and not really a clear theme throughout. Overall it just seems mixed up, and I'm not sure what to take from this movie. It seems to just tell this amazing story and also try to say something, but I can't see what exactly.

The success of this movie in the Oscar season I think seems to be the typical subject matter that the Oscars eat up, and some good PR from the Miramax company. This is not a bad movie, but unless you really like to see the Oscar nominated pictures I would skip it. Your not missing too much, and Winslet has had better roles in the past, and will again in the future. Not the first time a actor or actress has won a Oscar when the committee realized they should have given to the person in the past.

The Hangover

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The HANGOVER from director Todd Phillips (ROAD TRIP,OLD SCHOOL) has a huge buzz following it. Is it worthy of the buzz, and what looks to be a huge opening weekend? Yes, and no, but mostly yes.

The Hangover has plenty of laughs throughout and benefits from its Tarintino esque the beginning is the end set-up. Four guys find themselves piecing together a night of madness piece by piece to find their lost buddy Doug.  Much of the laughs hover around such things as a found baby, tiger, and Mike Tyson. Ed Helms does a find job, but it's hard to not feel that much of this movie was stolen by Zach Galifinakis. Who for the last ten years has been a much under appreciated stand up comic. Check out you tube, or his dvd live from the Purple Onion. I assure you it will not disappoint. Galifinakis was cast in the token dumb man role, but he took it from the Jack Black type character that it was on paper and made him something much more. Much of his lines seemed ad libbed, and much of the dumb behavior is played so serious and straight which makes it heightened from the over the top direction most would take it. 

This movie will make you laugh enough to forget the many issues with the story and character. The only character with any true arc is the Ed Helms character, and as enjoyable as that was to see you wonder why they didn't do it with the other characters. Especially Bradley Cooper's who has to throw in quickly that he is a teacher, married, and has a kid. That info having nothing to do with anything really besides that they felt they needed it in there. That's really all I can say poorly about The Hangover. Some many not like the crude humor, but I was surprised to see a older crowd at the show that I saw.

This is the first go see comedy of the year. It's not a masterpiece, but it is great to see a undeniable funny movie bring a lot of people out to laugh. Hopefully Zach Galifinakis gets some roles now that suit him well, and he can become someone we see quite often. Go see it.

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New SASQUATCH SHORT posted!!

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search: SASQUATCH SHORTS and watch BABY MIRACLE.

UP on Pixar

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Pixar has released 10 movies in it's existence. They are, TOY STORY 1/2, CARS, RATAOUILLE, WALL-E, THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO, MONSTERS INC, A BUG'S LIFE, AND UP. And they are all amazing. The only one I haven't seen was Monsters Inc, and the only one I didn't enjoy was Cars. That level of success in business, and with the viewers is absolutely unmatched. They may be the best collection of talent out there. Whatever they are doing, I hope they keep doing it.

So that tidbit of info was brought up by me just seeing the moving, funny, and visually fantastic UP. Starting from the top they had a montage with no words that is the best I have seen in a long time. It was sweet, wonderfully set to music, and from the get go had everyone accepting of the main character no matter how crabby he was about to become. The great story of the man and the scout was balanced with great humor from 'Dug' the dog, and the great adventure that they undertook. The voice casting was also superb, and may have been helped that avoided getting 'names' that often distract from these movies. None of UP was particularily meant for kids, nor were any of the jokes something that only adults would 'get.' Rather they just made a great movie that was computer animated. 

I'm sure you have heard the reviews. I'm sure you've seen how good the trailers, and ads look. And I'm telling you it's a must see. Tops the list of the summer so far, with Star Trek being the second of the two must sees so far.

Paging Woody Allen, and German Accents...

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Why do aging artists who consistently come out with more and more material each get credited with coming out with their latest masterpiece. Bob Dylan comes to mind, so does Bruce Springsteen recently, and don't get me wrong that both had fine work that has come out. But nothing compared to some of the masterworks they had in the past. Another artist like this is Woody Allen. His last few films have all shared this publicized hype when they came out, and all of them I didn't care for. Sure they may be well made films, that may not be denied, but they are just not very good. Not very interesting, not entertaining enough. 

The latest would be VICKY CRISTINIA BARCELONA, filled with hype of return to form, one for his cannon, and great performances. And viewed by me as rather boring. I don't know what else to say, the story was a bit understated, the performances were acceptable, the scenery was great, but it was just boring. The one thing I must say is that I don't see how Penelope Cruz got a Oscar for this movie. If anything her performance in Elegy should have gotten more attention. 

I guess for the time being we should just all go watch ANNIE HALL, or MAHNHATTAN again.

I also just today watched VALKYRIE. Why no German accents? I would really be interested in that choice. It didn't lose me, but I think having the accents would have made it more real for some reason. This is a amazing true story, and a rather large one to tell. The movie did not totally succeed in telling the story of the Germans during Hitler's reign who wanted him out. It was more a story about the action and happenings of one particular instance, of 15, that they tried to assasinate Hiter. They went into the life of Cruise's character a bit, but seemed to only go half way. I'm not sure why they only chose his character to do this with. It may have been more effective to see this insurgence from the German people all the way up to the high ranking officials.

The cinemaphotography in this was amazing. But overall the grand scope of the history was a bit lost. This is another movie where I think everyone knows how it ends, and in movies like that it's essential that the journey is captivating and brings you right to the ending with understanding what it took to get there. Valkyrie didn't quite do that. German accents probably wouldn't have helped, and neither would casting another lead actor. Both of which would have been welcomed by me however.

Put it on the bottom of your rental list.

Marley and Me.

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I grew up with two golden retrievers named Odie, and Bart. And when I say 'grew up', I mean grew up. We got Odie when I was about 7, and Bart was his son who was with us until I was 26. They were my brothers. So with that close personal history I knew I wouldn't be able to see this movie at the theatres without coming out of it looking like I was attacked by a bushel of onions. I think we all knew before seeing the movie how it ends.

All that being said I just watched MARLEY and ME on dvd. I had a gist of the story, but did not read the book. Amazingly this movie had little to do with Marley, and mostly the Me, until the later third of the movie. And obviously that part being the most effective. And really the only way this movie is effective, which is emotional placing yourself there. Easiest if you are a dog lover.  Most of the movie is the couple having bland, normal couple experiences of jobs, bosses, and moves. After a while the cuteness of the dog getting in trouble was just shame in how awful the owners are at training this dog in any matter what so ever. The first real thing that happened was the post doctors visit to the baby doctor. It goes on and on with Anniston's and Wilson's limited chemistry, and I really don't know why they went with Wilson on this. Has he ever owned a dog, can he deliver different emotions as an actor if he's reading the phonebook, burning in a fire, or putting his dog down? The aging of the dog was the hardest part, because I saw that with my dogs. I was there with the movie, I was thinking of being there when we put our dog Odie down and how a rush of feelings, emotions, and memories that was. I was almost insulted at the acting Owen Wilson emoted in that scene where he speaks to his 'brother' and 'companion.' I guess it's not his fault. I guess he should stick to comedy. I guess it's up to someone else to write a movie about what's it like to share parts of your life with a dog.

If you like the typical Hollywood mainstream movies check it out on dvd, otherwise skip it.

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JULY 23rd 

Chicago Pilot Competition

Come see RUBYS' RULES and the other nominees!

Terminator Salvation

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First I was gung ho to see this, then the reviews got me down, and finally going to see it I was nuetrally interested. If that is possible. Here it is, I'm not a Terminator uber fan. I've seen them all, but don't own any of the films and not seen them more than once all the way through.

Let me start out by saying some of the things I didn't like. I thought the Arnold 'cameo' was very uneeded and probabaly the one time I was taken out of the movie. Second thing was the woman who was rescued by Marcus Wright and then all of a sudden in love with him. She cried when he died and only knew him for about 15 minutes. No one else was crying still knowing what he was doing, so she was overdoing a bit and it made me laugh a little bit. Both of those are very minor and so is the minor story and theme things they could have had done more with. I'm guessing this easily could have been 2hr and 30 mins movie if they had more of backstory in it. They certainly could have had a bit more with Marcus Wright in the beginning, but still what they had worked fine. So no real complaints there.

All and all I really enjoyed this movie, it had a great look, idea that draws you in, and fantastic summer action. I'm guessing this is why Rotten Tomatoes currently has it's rating of 37%, the summer action movie haters. I can see where they are coming from, but what baffles me is that Wolverine is hovering at about the same rating. I would enjoy watching Terminator again, but I have zero desire to have my eyes focused on Wolverine again. The intensity of this movieswas almost hyper tensive, the pace kept moving, and you were constantly aware of what was at stake for everybody involved. This is also the first thing I've seen with Sam Worthington in it, and he was great considering really this movie is about him. They very much have a trilogy focus for this and I think the war with SkyNet is a fantastic way to frame the movies around. Also Christian Bale is im pretty sure signed for three pics, and Connors lady (Bryce Dallas Howard) is pregnant in the movie. I want to fight the machines.

This ranks in behind Star Treak. In terms of action I think it's close, but Star Trek is a better film. As the word of the movie being shaky spread so did the hatred of the director McG. McG perhaps has won himself a second chance, funny it being what the movie itself was about. In my opinion you should go see this. With next weeks slim openings it's a perfect time to catch up on this summers so far worthy movies, Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. No need to see Wolverine at all, and wait for Angels and Demons on dvd.

I will be going to see UP this weekend though since I'm caught up on my summer homework.

Party Down with Angels and Demons

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Watched the Starz networks first sitcom called PARTY DOWN. Chances are you don't have the network, neither do I, but I was able to check it out on Netflix view now. And a giant thank you to Netflix for finally having mac support on the view now function. Another one camera show w/o a laugh track and in this case involves a catering crew. Stars include  Ken Marino, Adam Scott, and Jane Lynch among others. Really good pilot actually and was co-written by Paul Rudd, just really gives you enough of each of the really great cast of characters. They also used the ability to have some pay cable content. Check it out if you have Netflix or may also be available on demand. I enjoyed the first so much I'm going to go back and check out the second ep in a bit.

I read The Da Vinci Code. It was entertaining. It's not a great book. I enjoy conspiracy theories, and the page turning book allowed me to try and put it all together while seeing what Professor Langdon was up to. The movie was a turd. Talk,talk,talk, slow,slow,slow and really didn't bring much to the big screen. For the Record I didn't really care Tom Hanks had a mullet. 

Going to see ANGELS AND DEMONS I knew little about the book besides it dealt with the Catholic church. I can dig that, a conspiracy theory about one of the biggest,oldest,and dirtiest corporations ever. Oh, wait now they did have some controversy about with the Church about Da Vinci. Will that effect this movie and how heavily it deals with the church? Answer is yes, i think, like i said I didn't read the book. The movies pace was a bit faster, it still had quite a bit of talking exposition mumbo jumbo and really didnt involve the audience with the clues. The Da Vinci code did this, they showed you the pieces that Langdon put together and allowed you to play along. I think everyone looked up the Last Supper painting online after reading the chapter in The Da Vinci code. The subject matter of science v church is barely touched upon, except for the purpose of the confusing anti-matter story. I'm guessing the book had something to do with technology subject mixed in there somewhere. Also going against this book was the lack of Illuminati. How facinating is that underground group? Besides name dropping it's not in this too much. It's dropped so much that the bad guy in this or bad guys are not effecting in this story. Motivation is not driven as much and not as good even as the albino from the other over pubbed movie. It think ANGELS AND DEMONS is also supposed to be a thriller, but it's not very thriller. I'm not saying this movie is worse than the Da Vinci Code, but it's not much better. Dan Brown the author of these books is writing another Langdon book and heres to the hopes that he works more with the underground societies and if he goes after the institutions to not hold back or just take it in another direction. To be honest I wouldn't mind Langdon working on something at home here in the states. We could all pretend that National Treasure hasn't done that, and it would be easy to forget if someone were to do a good job. Heck even Indiana Jones failed the last time. Also notice Chicago's Dave Pasquesi  in the movie as one of the main Vatican police.

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HOWIE!  Reunion Show MEMORIAL DAY MAY 25

@PLAYGROUND THEATER BELMONT/HALSTED

$5

Tom Hanks Fav 5

With the release of this weeks ANGELS AND DEMONS I take a moment to try and narrow down my favorite Tom Hanks movies. This is not a list of purely his best movies or performances, but a conglomorate of a bunch of criteria just makes these my favs...

5.SAVING PRIVATE RYAN-difficult to put this one at five.may be the greatest wwII movie ever,and hits in at 5 because it's very much an ensemble led by Hanks.

4.FORREST GUMP-I don't love love this movie,but it's impossible to deny how brilliant Hanks was in this long somewhat overly sugary movie.

3.ROAD TO PERDITION-A different role for Hanks in a great movie which also features Paul Newman. Good example of this just being one of my favs.

2.CAST AWAY-describe this movie to anyone before it came out and it sounds like a bore. a near three hour movie, and most of which is a guy alone on a island. but every time this movie is on tv i watch it. fascinating to watch Hanks transform himself, and see him alone on the island. How many actors could perform by themselves, ending up with Wilson as their best friend and make it sad, funny, and amazingly acted.

1.BIG-his big big break. hilarious and showed he could do comedy with a bit of drama intertwined, and now has brought on many imitators (13 going on 30,17 again)

So that's the 5, and I'm leaving out movies such as A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, PHILADELPHIA, APOLLO 13, GREEN MILE, and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Also don't forget the movies that when they are on cable you watch them for at least a half hour no matter how many times you've seen them, TURNER AND HOOCH, the BURBS, MONEY PIT, and SPLASH.

Wait I just change mind! Big is #2 and Cast Away is #1!

Wendy and Lucy, Kirk and Spock.

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I watched WENDY AND LUCY which is independent movie staring Michelle Williams as a young woman who along with her dog live from her car on their way to a better life in Alaska. I also could say I watched nothing at all. This is some sort of glorified student film. One hour twenty minutes dragged from about 20 minutes of content. I understand the slow draw of a small town and the grinding struggle of this woman, but absolutely nothing happened with the story, character, or whatever idea it may have been trying to have. All it needed to have was the set up of the situation and then the final scene with the dog which was about the only time any emotion was translated. Don't bother with this movie. Unless you want to be frustrated.

Just checked out STAR TREK this afternoon and let me say that I have never gone to the cinema to see a Star Trek movie. I'm sure I am not the only one as the plan was to get the Trekkers and more importantly younger crowd along with woman who were never fans before to see this movie. Packed with action, and a great tone along with a great pitch perfect cast. And for fans who have a inkling to be peeved by this revamp, I say you should really be thankfull because in reality it has pumped life into what was basically a dead franchise.

The movie was able to be serious, funny, and a bit moody all in one. There was not one moment or aspect of this movie that took you away from it. The only thing I really didn't find all that satisfying was the villian. He was just there, but I'm guessing the focus was with the fleet of the new starship Enterprise. I look forward to more of a Khan like baddie in the next chapter. Defo worth checking out for a fun summer ride, but for the record I'll take Star Wars over Trek any day.

Top 5 Most Historic and Influential Sitcoms

Sitcoms on the brain, trying to figure out my favorites, the best,etc, etc. Had to break them down into divisions. This is the first.

SEINFELD-This show brought a new genre,style, and generation of comedy.

ROSEANNE-real people after the 80's sitcom of perfect familys. Controversial and also hilarious. Did fall off majorly in last season or so.

COSBY SHOW-I don't find this show hilarious, but the best sitcom for the whole family, and the first about a african american family.

MASH-A sitcom about war. Dark humor that I'm not sure would work on todays tv, and the finale is still the highest rated program in history.

ALL IN THE FAMILY-Archie Bunker would not be on television today. There is no way he would say the things he said. By far the most sociological sitcom, and also hilarious.

My Admiration

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I watched the series finale (?) of SCRUBS last night and it made me feel good. Yes the highly descriptive word of 'good'. It filled me with goodness, and made me want to disperse this kind of good into the world. Scrubs started 8 years ago as one of the first one camera shows with no laugh track (trend has become now fixture with Earl,30 Rock,Office,etc), fantasy sequences, and often physical humor. 8 years for any show is an amazing run, and more amazing for Scrubs because it never got huge ratings,and has been continuously moved around in the schedule and even network.

Much of the credit should go to creator Bill Lawrence for coming up with all the pieces and then finding those pieces from the cast, writers, and even directors who must have the ability to work with the style. This show was Zach Braff's breakout, it gave us John C. McGinely in a new light, and Neil Flynn a pitch perfect janitor who is allowed to improvise on set. And many writers who help make the show what it is, and gave them the ability to create and write many of their own shows.

Like any show that runs this long there is a year or so where 'it's not the same', and Scrubs had that it's weird period, but the devoted fans still always found what night its on, downloaded it on itunes,or just bought all the dvds. I guess what it did was what every show tries to do. Made us expierience and relate to someones journey, laugh, and in a way Scrubs did so greatly; learn. Seinfeld proclaimed no hugging, no learning, and many jokes are made about sitcoms lessons learned/problems solved in 22 mins. Scrubs did a great thing and explored themes, they did it in a light manner and with a perfect backdrop of life working in a hospital. Idon't think any show has gone from fantasy sequence to the dramatic moments Scrubs brought. It was never preachy and many times making you reflect while bringing you to boughts of laughter. It was the same with the finale of change and saying goodbye and it all was brought to a fitting end of JD leaving Sacred Heart saying goodbye to a janitor who brought him there. That janitor being played by Bill Lawrence.

Some word now floats around that Scrubs may be coming back for another year, but not with the original cast. Sarah Chalke is used heavily in HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, John C, and Neil Flynn have pilots coming out this fall, and Zach Braff is just ready to move on. When Bill Lawrence created the show he wanted it to be like ER in the aspect that characters could come in and out and the show could run seemlessly still focusing on a couple of characters. The thought that pops into many fans mind is that it will tarnish what Scrubs was and the great finale won't be a finale. True I guess, but Bill Lawrence remarked about the ability to still tell more stories, and most importantly give over a hundred people jobs in this economy and in this lack of sitcom world. Why not? The new interns, Kelso is back, why not? The potential of more Scrubs comedy, and the reasoning for it just makes me feel, well, good I guess.

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This Friday 5/8 PH's Phrenzy @Stage Left Theatre

1230am $10

Summer Movie Anticipation.

The summer movie season has officially opened, and it's gotten me a little worried. I can look past Wolverine easily and realize that there is over 3 months of summer movies to come. But when I think of it I can say with certainty it will not be like last summer of DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN. Sure they was a lot of stinkers last summer, but these two movies were instantly great movies. Will we have even two comparable movies this year?

SECTION 1:IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ME.

This summer there seems to be a lot of movies (sequels/remakes) to which I have no ties to with the past. STAR TREK (maybe have seen 2 of the others), ANGELS AND DEMONS (will we get burned again like with the Da Vinci turd), TERMINATOR SALVATION (ive seen them all,but they dont give me a movie boner), LAND OF THE LOST (i like me some ferrell,but an old 70's tv show?), TRANSFORMERS (didnt have many or any of these as a kid and thought the first movie was dumb action fun), and GI JOE (i loved gi joe as a kid,but im fairly certain director  Stephen Sommers of Mummy 2 and Van Helsing will screw this up)

All that being said about all of these movies, I'm still going to see them all in the theatres.

SECTION 2: THE OTHERS.

This stuff I'm excited for because it's a bit more up my alley and may be some really good stuff. Still nothing that I'll be counting down for like I did for Iron and Bat man.

THE HANGOVER (trailer looks great, by Todd Phillps who gave us OLD SCHOOL), YEAR ONE (great pedigree and Harold Ramis directing and story by), THE HURT LOCKER (limited release summer movie with great buzz,and tops trailer.stars Jeremy Renner), PUBLIC ENEMIES (may look forward to this the most,dynamite actors,story,and time period), FUNNY PEOPLE (im guessing there is something else besides the twist they give away in trailer,Judd Apatow is good, but may be running out of getting away with these movies. comedy winds are shifting) and INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (not a big tarintino fan but this movie seems to find the violence and revenge excusable.)

So there it is. I'm still not that excited.

I Watched a Movie Co-Written by Donnie Wahlberg.

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Yes it's true. I watched a movie by Donnie Wahlberg, it's base off one of the NKOTB songs called Hangin' Tough. And trust me when I say those kids are rough! Well I did watch a movie written by NKOTB's former bad boy and it's called WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU. It's a story of two brothers who do the dirty work and collecting in a tough Boston neighborhood. The movie never got much of a theatrical release even with the cast of Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, and Amanda Peet. It's a small time crooks, gritty Boston scene based on what they say is a true story. Except unlike other movies that try to move you with the 'true story' aspect this doesn't. It doesn't lend to the movie at all. They end where the title comes up with the updates of the characters almost take away from what you would project happened to these people. And honestly at that point I had forgotten it was a true story. Regardless of this it's still a decent watch especially Mark Ruffalo whom I'm a fan of. Amanda Peet is the only character with a Boston accent (southie i believe) and its turned to 11. ( i think pop culture has ruined that phrase officially) Ethan Hawke is Ethan Hawke, over doing it at some points and really has no arc or point besides to point/counterpoint his brother Ruffalo. It's also a bit odd that Hawke does a small time crook movie after just doing a far superior one called BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOUR DEAD. That movie shook up the narrative, injected the story with tense drama and conflict which was presented by a masterful Sidney Lumet. So no rush to rent this movie, but if you do enjoy Mark Ruffalo or the small time crook/mob flics give it a try. Just make sure you watch Before The Devil Knows Your Dead as well.

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Wednesday Night @ Gift Theatre 8PM

NATURAL GAS

50 minutes of improv for 5.

BREAKING NEWS:

Ruby's Rules the pilot I co-wrote and acted in has been accepted into the Chicago Pilot Festival. The screening for it will be in late July and is being judged by people in Hollywood. I'm sure you know how tan and cool they are. I might get to meet one.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

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Going in I was expecting a fun,entertaining start to the summer movie season. I figured this would fit in somewhere around the INCREDIBLE HULK type of comic book movie success. (spectrum would be DARK KNIGHT,IRON MAN,X2,SPIDEY 2, then Hulk) Which is in the higher percentile than the dozens of comic movies I'm not mentioning. My biggest concern was the movie packing a bunch of other characters rather messily making a muddled movie of the X-Men's best character.

Good news is they did well just shuffling around the cameos and not making them a total distraction. Yet they still were a bit of a distraction. What is Will.I.Am doing in this I have no idea, and the slightly mixed up use and mythology of Deadpool. They may have had more success just concentrating on Logan and just touching on the rest like Iron Man did with the Avengers inclusion which came in the credits. It's Logan inner struggle and decsions that make him complex and interesting and how he deals with them outwardly much like the Dark Knight had. Instead this seems to veer directions a bit holding on really close to the fighting brothers that only repeats itself in the high action conclusion not making it really interesting. Neither does a bunch of characters that your not sure of their weaknesses. It's not really fun watching a bunch of what seems like invincible people fight.

Rather than really give Wolverine the movie he deserves they seemed to hurt themselves by setting up all these other movies and stories they want to pursue. Styker was great, but still did we get to know enough about him? It was the manipulation by him that was key and his motivation and backstory that made it clear. They bluring of what makes someone good and evil is something that should have been utilized more. Overall this was a good start to the summer blockbuster season. I would really say catch this on dvd, but since its the opener of the season the excitement may lead you to the theatre. It's about twice as good as THE FANTASTIC FOUR, so it's got that going for it.

Finding Interest in Lost, Southland going south, JCVD Redeemed.

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Another year nearly ending with LOST and of course the action ramps up, they don't dilly dally with the stories and it gets super interesting. Interest is at high peak with this last episode. Answers are given and the stakes are raises. Count me all in.

SOUTHLAND is dipping on my dvr list. This last episode left four characters totally out of the three story lines they had going. The realism they are going for seems to lose a bit of the pace of these storys. Yes they swear, yes they take out their weapons, yes they struggle with the politics, and yes they show them ordering food and other banal things. It was a compelling story with the detective and his 'relationship' issue with his sister, but I was finding the rook and vet cop dynamic the most interesting, and they were no wear to be seen. And so far they seems to be no plan for the season. No thru line for all the episodes, just learning about the characters. Which give you a chance to see a large ensemble but also leaves you a bit out in the cold when yours are not in a episode at all. Question is, does this show know what it's trying to be, or who it's trying to be about?

JCVD. Wow. I heard goods things about this movie from it's theatrical run, and so had decent expectations for it. I'm not a Jean Claudde fan per se, i haven't seen a new movie of his since im sure sometime in the mid 90's. Sure I enjoy the cable broadcast treats of LIONHEART, HARD TARGET, or BLOODSPORT, but they are pure on the whim treats and campy fun. Much has been said and reported of Jean Claudde in the last ten years from failed marriages to bad straight to dvd movies. He lets them all hang out here in JCVD as he plays himself as he gets mixed up in a robbery. It strips him of the 'character' he has been playing and exposes many real emotions that are highly relatable and effecting. Specifically his monolouge where he speaks to the camera contextually okayed as thoughts in his head. I was overly impressed by this movie. By its originality, look, and performances especially JCVD's. Check out this dvd now. It's far beyond a  Jean Claude stereotypical movie and stands as a purely solid movie.

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WEDNESDAY MAY 6TH

THE GIFT THEATRE

MILWAUKEE AND LAWRENCE IN JEFFERSON PARK

8PM

$5

EASY TO FIND PARKING

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALSO NEW SASQUATCH SHORT

'BABY MIRACLE'

ON THE WAY IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS!

A Guilty Admission of a Guilty Pleasure.

People often ask of someone what their favorite movie is as to possibly get an idea of what kind of person they are. Which makes total sense, and I would bet many of the close friends you have will like the same movies. I really enjoy seeing movie collections that someone owns because I think that digs a bit deeper into what they are really like. You can see what is below the surface of 'the Godfather is my favorite movie' and see what they wouldn' tell you.

I was thinking of this and I thought of a movie I do not currently own, but at the time it came out I went and saw 3 times at the theatre. And I must say as of today I would welcome watching it again. So this movie and my guilty admission of a guilty pleasure is... SPACE JAM.

A Shout Out for...Harold Ramis.

Not many times will someone have such a giant, gargantuan, immense influence on something and still not get the credit that he deserves. Such is the case of Harold Ramis who in the last 35 or so years has been consistently a huge factor in the best comedy made period. I could spout my admiration for him on and on, and how I would dream to have a marginal portion of his creative output, but I think just listing what he has done may offer the proof in the pudding. I can't believe I just used a pudding thing, oh well.

I guess I will start with his writing credits since that is where any project would start. First of his training in improv/acting/sketch with Chicago's Second City. Huge. Worked with Murray,Belushi, Ackroyd,etc etc. Went onto be head writer for SCTV which is often overlooked. After that he broke in to movies and wrote ANIMAL HOUSE,MEATBALLS,CADDYSHACK,STRIPES,BACK 2 SCHOOL,GHOSTBUSTERS,GROUNDHOG DAY,and ANALYZE THIS.

He also has directed CADDYSHACK,ANALYZE THIS,BEDAZZLED,ICE HARVEST,GROUNDHOG DAY,NATIONAL LAMPOONS VACATION,and the upcoming YEAR ONE.

As I mentioned with Second City and SCTV he also has acted quite a bit since then. The most obvious is GHOSTBUSTERS, but his influence on comedians/directors have led him to parts in WALK HARD,KNOCKED UP,ORANGE COUNTY,HIGH FIDELITY,AS GOOD AS IT GETS,and also a major role in STRIPES.

Much is made of the Apatow movies that have been coming out over the last few years and how much of a impact they have had on comedy. In many ways they follow the same paths, creatively leading the way, working with many of the same actors, and producing many works that branch out from those people he works with. Apatow movies I think will soon wain a bit because they are almost too much of the same. He makes a good story with comedy, but often the 'heart' that he puts into them also take away from the comedy. Ramis has bounced around in styles, genres creating a standard that will be hard for anyone to reach. Creating the 80's comedy genre Slobs vs. Snobs, making possibly the best romantic comedy in GROUNDHOG DAY, family comedy in VACATION(which was the only one he dir. and was by far the best of the bunch), and even darker fare like THE ICE HARVEST. Thus a shout out goes out for Mr. Harold Ramis.

A Bit of Life, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and Parks and Recreation a Bit Off.

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Netflix'd the first season of LIFE wanting to catch up on the first season which I only watched the first two episodes of. Just to get more backstory of the conspiracy to set up Cruz. It's amazing how much better the second season is than the first. A bit of casting shake up and digging a bit deeper with the secondary characters makes all the difference.

Also got in the mail, A BIT OF FRY AND LAURIE a 1989 BBC sketch comedy show staring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Yes the Hugh Laurie from House. I'm guessing most people who watch House don't realize he was a brilliant comedic actor in England before finding success as the ornary doctor. Not many sketch shows really can stand up after years, and not many two person sketch show are even tried on tv. I would venture to guess Mr.Show took quite a bit of notes from this show. Heavily character based, seamless edits, breaking the fourth wall often are all commonly placed pieces in this show. I just got done with season one and look forward to season 2 as well as Jeeves and Wooster, and Blackadder which they were featured in.

This weeks OFFICE, and 30 ROCK were solid as usual, but Parks and Recreation seems to take a step back. Hopefully this show can work through it's growth spurts and get a chance, but I still think its too similar to the Office.

Another heads up to watch ABC's BETTER OFF TED. That's two strong episodes in a row, and hopefully people will watch this smart and funny comedy before it's doomed by what I'm sure is not gargantuan ratings.

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NATURAL GAS this wednesday @ The Gift Theatre 8pm, 5$

PH-Phrenzy! Friday at 1230am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doubting How I Met Your Mother on Saturday Night.

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How can SNL go from one week being so bad (Seth Rogen ep) to being steadily funny the whole way through. Another weird thing is how a cast member can be in nothing one week and basically in the whole show the next. In this weeks case Jason Sudekeis who was tons specifically a funny scene that lead up to a toe sucking. Sure it's a stunt, but the rest of the scene had good timing and the writing was brisk and sharp. Other good scenes was the commercial 'im your mother', the underage bar,biden open as well as update. Zac Efron even from the opening monolouge was fine as a straight man, but when he tried to go into character land being Kathy Lee Giffords son he didnt do so hot. Maybe it has something to do with the writers having something new to write with, or a host that inspires ideas. Many of these sketches really fit the host age and status.

Also watched DOUBT with Streep,Adams,Hoffman,and the amazing Viola Davis. Many times supporting acting nominations get criticized because the role in the movie was too short (see Dench-Shakespeare in Love). Viola Davis really has one scene but it is overboard fantastic. Watch this movie. You may have to be in a dramatic movie type of mood, and sure it is slow, but it reflects the setting and characters of the story. And one its gets into it, it gets into it. It also handles the story matter in a way that doesn't make it about the Church as such, but sure makes you think about it.

I'm back on the HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER train. It's really only cuz of the Patrick Harris, Segal combo. I think the writers know this is their goodness on the show because they pair them up much of the time. Or because those two don't really handle many of the A storylines. They leave those up to the borish characters who can't expand much on a script comedically.

Also caught the second ep of SURVIVING SUBURBIA with Bob Saget. I also watched the pilot, and it's really not that bad. That being said I did erase it half way through this latest episode. I like Bob Saget, mostly in a way that I don't dislike him, but he has specific tools as a comedic actor. See The Aristocrats as an example. They try to make him a bit grumpy and somewhat unlikeable, but it still doesn't work all the time. It's a bit standard in terms of sitcom, but it's better than According to Jim. The actress who plays the daughter is very good. She's probably seven. Someone should take her and the son from Gary Unmarried and make a show cuz they are both better than most adult sitcom actors. And yes probably better than me. But I am a late bloomer.

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the house improv team NATURAL GAS at the GIFT Theatre this Wednesday @ 8pm. $5. The Gift Theatre is at 4802. N. Milwaukee Ave.!!!!!

Yes Man Rescue Me from Observe and Report.

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After not going out and supporting Jim Carrey at the theatres (for those of you who don't know I was quite fixated on him for years) I finally watched YES MAN on dvd. I'd heard the comparisons to Liar Liar, but I must say I don't agree all that much. They dealed well with they saying 'yes' to everything aspect, and this really was probably a bit more impactfull than Liar Liar cuz his decisions were a choice rather than some mystic 'spell' that was put on him. Rhys Darby as his boss at the bank was great, as was the chemistry between Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel suprisingly. Jim didn't overact too much(ie Bruce Almighty), and he had many really great laugh out loud moments. Really good comedy for all to see and one that I think would please most. And for those of you who don't know this was very very loosely based on a book of the same name by Danny Wallace.

Finally, finally, finally after the almost forgotten writers strike of last year RESCUE ME is back. And it was great to see Tommy Gavin and the gang back. So many good moments, but the highlight was calling his family 'assholes' and talking about the dog shitting in the pantry. The great thing about this season is that because they were away for so long this season is a huge 22 episodes.

OBSERVE AND REPORT. Yes it's another mall cop movie. Not the first time hollywood has put out two very specific familiar movies. Member The Truman Show/Ed, Deep Impact/Armageddon, or Capote/Infamous. The word I got from the reviews was this was a dark, inappropiate, and crass movie. Great, count me in. The movie was all those things, but just not all that funny. I would defo wait for this to come out on dvd. This was written and directed by Jody Hill who also did the Foot Fist Way which was a achievement for a bunch of guys from South Carolina with no money, but was also a unfunny movie (and I like Danny Mcbride). At least Observe and Report was a much better jump forward. I don't think he will go 0-3 though as I hear his latest project Eastbound and Down is really good. Yet to see it though. Damn you HBO and your grasp on preventing internet piracy.

Also just watched NBC's SOUTHLAND. This show is filling the time slot now abandoned by ER. I'm not into cop shows all that much, but I've been watching most everything at least once. Unless it's all those borish dramas from CBS. (Mentalist,Without a Trace,etc.) Southland had a strong resemblence to ER in terms of style, look, and story telling. Which made more sense as I saw in the credits it is produced by John Wells who also produced ER. Great script, handfull of really good actors, and I think this show has the makings for a hit. I guess if people watch that is. I highly reccomend checking it out as I have set to permanent record on my dvr.

The Unusual decision to make another Office in a Parks and Recreation office.

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Watched the pilot of ABC's THE UNUSUALS hoping that it would be a different take on the police drama. It is. One of the cases being solved was about a cat murderer. Which is fun. It's a very large ensemble, and a interesting one with the likes of Adam Goldberg, Amber Tamblyn, and Jeremy Renner. The only thing I'm not sure of is that if they handle unusual cases, or are just unusual themselves. So far the characters are not that unusual, (scared of dying/getting sick,has 6 months to live,father is rich)but neither are they doing much real cop work. By the end though they let you know where the show was going and who amongst the large cast it was concentrating on. And sure the cast is a bit unusual. Keep an ear peeled for the odd and funny dispatch calls, and Jeremy Renner who is interesting to watch. Also kudos to Kai Lennox who plays detective Alvarez with a misplaced ego. Show is worthy of a look see, and for me a watch of ep. two.

The OFFICE has two new episodes last night with them mainly focusing on the Michael Scott Paper Company. The best parts of these episodes has been something new for Jim and Pam to do thank god. Jim is stuck trying to impress the new boss, and Pam is struggling with leaving Dunder Mifflin. For the most part the Jim storyline has been the most fun to watch, as was the Andy/Dwight wooing of the new receptionist. As for the rest it was mixed. Sometimes with the Office in the last year or so they have been getting too involved with the storylines and plot. Which is why i think the best part of the sitcom season is the middle where they can just mess about and not have to worry about cliffhangers and such. Which is the opposite for dramas where they tend to be a bit more boring in the middle and they have you waiting for the ramped up action of the end of season. For example ,LOST.

Also watched Parks and Recreation, the new show from american Office developers, and starring Amy Poehler. The show had a good pedigree coming in and a great cast. The odd part of casting in this is that they cast the actors before they had a show. The creators knew they wanted to do a new show,and were planning a office spin off which morped into really having nothing to do with the Office. So they had locked in the actors before they knew what the show would be about. Which im sure the actors enjoyed cuz they got paid to be on 'hold' for six months and not do any work. I think the puzzling part was that if they decided to not do a Office spin off and keep the mockumentary style why did they still keep it in a office work enviroment. I'm not saying the show was bad, it was funny, but I don't understand why it's soooo similar.

So i watch two average Offices and one alright pilot ep, and then 30 ROCK which showed why the cast and show keeps winning award after award.

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SHOW TONIGHT!!!!!!!

12:30, PH Productions (whatisph.com) at Stage Left Theatre 3408 N. Sheffield. Show is called PHrenzy, and there is also a show at 11pm called Wheel of Phortune. One show $12, both shows $15. I'm playing in the later. What a deal!!

Someone in Scrubs saved my Life so I'm not Better Off Ted.

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Crammed in some shows last night. Was contemplating taking BETTER OFF TED off the dvr, but it earned more viewings after a great episode called 'Racial Sensitivity.' It's a funny,smart show, but the direction of what's actually happening has sort of not been complete for me. Sometimes it just seems like a different setting for a workplace sitcom, and at times seem to traject more of the main characters journey. Either way the last ep was really funny and so are the company ads they sneak in before the first commercial break.

Also watched LIFE which I've mentioned on her before as a great, under appreciated show on NBC. It was the season two finale and seemed to wrap up a major story line for zen detective Charlie Crews. Which is scary cuz I've have not heard if it has been renewed for a season 3 yet. If you like cop shows check this one out. Season 1 is on dvd, and all of season two is on Hulu.com

You can always tell which episodes of Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence writes. This season they seem to be the best ones. You can tell it's winding down a bit, but it's still one of my favorite shows out there. So many fantastic characters, and such a fresh new show. A show that with time will show how good it is.

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Playing this Friday at 12:30, PH (whatisph.com) at Stage Left Theatre 3408 N. Sheffield. Show is called PHrenzy, and there is also a show at 11pm called Wheel of Phortune. One show $12, both shows $15. What a deal!!

Also if you havent already, check out the trailer for the now completed Sasquatch Shorts sitcom pilot called 'Ruby's Rules.'

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/0beeddf578/rubys-rules-trailer

Import and Export Salvation or How I Learned to Love the Tv/Movie Blog Again Part II Resurection aka Rory's First Kiss (working title)

Well my desire to talk about shows and movies I watch (Import) with everyone is rekindled. And hopefully your desire to read and comment back is too. Imagine some nice candles, sips of wine, and Boyz II Men playing in the background as you read. And yes, I'll be wearing something silk. So...I watch a lot of tv and movies, which is sort of a desired occupational hazard. As in I desire to have a job in that area. And in tv these days good shows need to be watched, and people need to hear about them. Also needing to be watched is shows that I'm in, or videos being done. So I will plug those as well in the Export section. Simple as that I guess. So here goes Import & Export revamp.