Monday, May 29, 2006






















Ah, the stupidity of political correctness and sensors.
This week’s Entertainment Weekly reports that the MPAA rejected the original poster (left) for the docudrama The Road to Guantanamo due to its depiction of “apparent torture”, but the poster on the right has been deemed acceptable. I guess it’s because the left poster gives the impression of torture, but the one on the right leaves room for the imagination - because we all know that a movie about Guantanamo detainees would certainly have a poster of a person handcuffed voluntarily, perhaps even in the throes of passion.
Sunday, May 28, 2006

Desperation, the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s work, aired earlier this week. I had high hopes, my husband did not. King had previously hailed this tele-movie as the best adaptation of his work to date. This proved to be very untrue. Maybe scene-wise and character-wise the adaptation was good and true to the original text, but King needs to learn that network television cannot capture the essence of his work. Network television, what with its commercials, limited budget, bad special effects, bad child actors, nameless directors, and sensors cannot compete with a true theatre movie, or even with HBO. The creepiness just does not come across in the right way, there is no tension, or if some has slowly built up it is then interrupted by a commercial break for iTunes and maxi-pads. I would prefer to leave it all in my imagination than have half-assed adaptations fail and give King and his work a bad name.
For some good movies try:
Stand By Me, The Green Mile, Dolores Claiborne (though not at all true to the novel), The Shining (original, though again not true to the book), Apt Pupil.

Went to a matinee today, filled with squeaking children, stoners, dorks, and for some reason a very large over-40 couple (I suppose in this case my husband and I fall into the dork category).  Firstly, children should have their own soundproof area in every theatre so the rest of the audience is not disturbed by them, please urge your local government to enforce this as law.  As for the movie, it was good, but not as good as the previous two.  I have a particular love for Wolverine and liked his story-line, however, though Halle Berry babbled about the fact that Storm would grow and we would see and hear more from her in this movie, it wasn’t really true.  She had more lines and a bit more action and better hair, but the character did not grow.  My hope is that this is not the last we’ll see of the X-Men as a group (we already know there are a few upcoming spin-offs i.e.: Wolverine), as this third installment doesn’t meet the requirements to close the book on the series.   
Monday, May 22, 2006

The writers of Supernatural - take heed - the second season finale of Veronica Mars kicked ass on your first season finale.  Veronica Mars is never a show to disappoint.  You know a show is good (and should stay on the air!!) when after watching the season finale you wish you could skip the summer and get straight to fall so you can see the next episode and find out what the hell is going on.  As with Season One a bunch of storylines were tied up, and not predictably so.  As with Season One, after tying up some stories stitches of new story threads were dropped.  It certainly helps that Kristin Bell is frickin’ awesome, particularly in this episode, in a scene that had me slack-jawed with tears in my eyes.  I won’t spoil the outcome for you in case you were out walking your dog, are waiting for Season Two on DVD (August), or are plain ol silly person who has never seen the show.  If you haven’t watched, tune in to the reruns and get hooked so the new UPN-merged station will ensure Veronica a slot in the fall. 
Only spoiler - (and it’s not a a big one, in the scheme of things) I love Veronica and Logan together.

Spike Lee is certainly not my favourite person on the planet, but he has a tendency to make good movies.  Inside Man is a good movie, but not a great movie.  It lacks some of the grittiness and depth of character that many of Lee’s other movies have.  It seems just a little more Hollywood than most of his other films.   Denzel Washington (a good actor but not a favourite of mine) is forced to wear hideous clothes that I found distracting.  Jodie Foster (who is a favourite of mine, or used to be anyway) tries a little too hard to be a complete and total ball-busting bitch, and while her character was an interesting addition to the formula, Foster doesn’t quite fit the role as it was written.  I am always up for a good heist movie, but unfortunately there aren’t many out there and in the case of this movies, the reason behind the heist (aside from $$ that is) was a bit melodramatic and boring.  This is certainly not a bad movie (i.e.: not The Score), Lee still manages to have a lot of “authentic” New Yorkers spread out amongst the cast, and the stars all give competent performances,  but overall it’s a little lackluster.  
It took me a while to get around to it, but I have finally been introduced to Sookie Stackhouse.  I think I like her, whether or not I like her “world” remains to be seen.  In contrast to Anita Blake and Rachel Morgan, Sookie Stackhouse is a small town girl with small town ambitions.  The word has changed somewhat, but small town America has been left mostly untouched.  Enter Bill the vampire, who is not from England or France, but from Sookie’s hometown.  This in itself is an interesting component to the story as vampires seem to always be from a land far, far away.  Harris has managed to have a lot of original (to me anyway) ideas, in a series that could have been yet another Anita Blake knockoff.  Anita’s oversexed world is becoming tiresome to me, and I look forward to reading the next Sookie book (which is already on my desk at work, waiting to come home). 
Friday, May 12, 2006

The word velocity does not apply.  The book is not fast-paced, in fact there is never a real sense of urgency.  I was really hoping for a heart-pounding thriller, which Koontz is certainly capable of (Intensity), but this book doesn’t hit the mark.  The characters I found most interesting were not expanded on - Ivy the entrail-reading waitress, and Barbara the comatose girlfriend.  It doesn’t say much about the lead character(s) if a girl in a coma is more interesting. 
Please won’t someone write me a good horror/thriller so I can go back to being my old jumpy self when I’m home alone or walking down a dark street?
Thursday, May 11, 2006

Dear Eddie Vedder,
c/o Pearl Jam Tour

I am just dropping a note to point out that somehow your current Tour has missed scheduling any dates for Vancouver. In fact most Canadian cities have been missed. I assume this must be a temporary oversight by your schedulers. I know you were kind enough to give us our very own Canadian tour last year and I have a lovely red PJ Canada hoodie to prove it. Each time you play Vancouver you let us know that we are one of the best crowds to play for. With the arrival of your new album your Vancouver fans eagerly await your Tour.
Yes, I know a truly dedicated fan would likely stop complaining and just hop on over to one of the Seattle shows. However, due to your President, his politics, his reign of terror on his own people, and snotty American border guards who want to know why you are going away for the weekend without your husband, some of us would really prefer to stay on our side of the border, even if Stephen Harper (pardon me while I gag) is our current PM.

Yours Sincerely,
A dedicated PJ Fan 
(even if I have only seen you in Vancouver)
Dear Entertainment Tonight,

For the past 2 weeks you have peppered each evening’s show with snippets of footage of your “interview” of Amy Fisher, Joey Buttafuoco and his ex-wife Mary Jo. For the love of all things unholy, please stop.
These people are not entertainers. They did not knock-up or knock-off Britney Spears. I do not tune into them each week, I do not pay to seem them on the big screen. These facts alone should signify to you that these people do not belong on Entertainment Tonight. They belong behind closed doors away from the public eye and certainly away from cameras, because really, no one wants to watch a greasy bug-eyed fat guy argue with two women he had a part in ruining. So, unless one of them gobbles up Nicole Richie cause really, no one wants to watch a greasy bug-eyed fat guy argue with two women he had a part in ruining. So, unless one of them gobbles up Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan for a light afternoon snack, please stop wasting my time blathering on about them.
Sunday, May 7, 2006

A little lackluster if you ask me.  Nothing is resolved, and the “cliffhanger” ending was not a true cliffhanger but simply a copout - a clear copy of last year’s Alias season finale with Syd & Vaughan’s crash, and I’m sure there have been many similar predecessors on other shows as well.  Now, maybe the dad will turn out to be dead fueling the boys’ fury for future episodes, I guess that depends on whether or not Denny gets killed off on the Grey’s Anatomy finale, he’s too good to get dumped off both shows.  But let’s get serious, there’s no way either brother is dead or out of commission, the show works because of them and how they play off each other, not to mention their hotness.  Hopefully in the next season their time will be filled helping out in areas that are now left with no Hunters since most of their friends/helpers were knocked off. 
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
No, it’s not Wolf Creek or Zombie Honeymoon - though I did watch both recently and was sorely disappointed. The scariest most disturbing movie I’ve seen recently is Shopgirl. I read the book when it came out and have to say it’s not memorable by any means - so much so that no recollections of the book were triggered as I watched the movie. The movie is boring and melodramatic and drags on and on. Watching Steve Martin touch and kiss Claire Danes is just plain wrong. He doesn’t look like a creepy pedophile and Claire Danes doesn’t appear to be childlike, but it still seems very very wrong and just plain uncomfortable to watch them have sex. To see Claire Danes laid out flat and naked for Steve Martin’s eyes. This is not a movie that purposely aims to creep you out by some “forbidden love” sort of relationship. It tries to be serious and falls flat because Danes and Martin have no chemistry. In fact, Danes and Jason Schwartzman also have no chemistry in their scenes but at least his character was mildly amusing and interesting. Claire Danes is better watched with Jordan Catalano or Romeo. Save the rental fee and pick something else.