Movie | Cowboys and Aliens | PASS

Loved every minute of it, warts and all. Just my sort of movie. Probably not for lots of people.

Movie | Holy Rollers | Pass

Not too visceral or nasty. Well done, though slow. Neat to see the Eisenberg siblings in the same movie together.

Movie | Rock Slyde | Pass-ish

Cheap, silly fun about a inept detective in this mock noir. Better done in The Bestys 2009, for much less budget and an unknown cast.

Movie | Night of the Living Dead 3D | Fail

No pun intended, but this 2006 remake was loveless and robotic. It stumbled from one scene to the next, the actors chewing through their lines. It would have taken significantly more brains to make this at all appetizing.

TV | Alphas | Pass

The pilot was surprisingly enjoyable and engaging. Unfortunately, the whole thing feels so familiar, entirely too much like an urban X-men minus the metro-sexual costumes.

TV | The Car Show | Fail

Another ho-hum copy of Top Gear UK. Who knew that the hosts made all the difference?!? Like Top Gear USA, this is just more proof of how absolutely vital a good crew is.

Here, we've got Adam Carolla (again - he and Tanner Faust were part of a failed first attempt at Top Gear USA back in '08), who is a funny comedian but not a show host. Athlete John Salley co-hosts and has nothing to say. Wall Street Journal automotive columnist Dan Neil, drives with his pinky out and couldn't be less appealing (but nonetheless comes across as the most knowledgeable). Matt Farah is the only appealing personality and the entire show could have easily revolved around only him. No need for the other three. He doesn't have a lot to say, either, and there's not much of his character that comes through, good or bad.

Maybe they tried to cram too much into one show instead of concentrating on quality over quantity.

Hopefully, it will get better. The pilot was awful.

Movie | The Gamma People | PASS

 

I loved this cheesefest about two reporters who stumble upon a tiny European country held captive and used for experiments by a mad scientist. Horrifically acted and just fantastic all around.

Movie | Chopper | Pass

Extremely similar movie to Bronson, but slightly less stylish and psychadelic. Like that fictionalized tale of a real life recidivist, this is about a man prone to extremely violent behavior at the drop of a hat. It's all rather disturbing, yet fascinating...a train wreck. Here, Bana is allowed to be as spectacular as he is, unlike 90% of the absolute borefests he's usually in. Surely, that's no fault of his own as he is clearly a fantastic actor.

Movie | Henry's Crime | Pass

Keanu Reeves ain't great in this (was he GREAT in anything?), but doesn't ruin this rather slow paced show about a bland guy who goes to jail for a crime that he didn't commit (for real, this time). When he gets out, he decides that he might as well do the crime for which he did the time. Occasional moments of enjoyment make this watchable.

Movie | Neverwas | Pass-ish

Less than satisfying, but well acted. A whole lotta buildup for not a lot of payoff.

Movie | Color Me Kubrick | Fail

Malkovich is his usual excellent self but this (possibly true?) movie about a guy running around England impersonating Stanley Kubrick for personal gains isn't all that enjoyable to watch. It drags (no pun intended) and I just wanted it to be over.

Movie | Thumbsucker | Pass

Interesting, well done, mildly disturbing film about a teenager that sucks his thumb. The cast really knocks it out of the park. Interesting comparison to Gretchen, which is less professional but also less disturbing.

Movie | Rio | Pass

Cute and colorful, but the story is just passable. A bit too predictable and it's hard to really care about most of the characters. Love how they glossed over the crushing Brazilian poverty. Should have been better, but still enough lightweight fun.

Movie | The Invention of Lying | Fail

Awful. Just awful. Couldn't get through more than the first fifteen minutes of it. The humor was so poor that it quickly became insulting. Maybe it gets better after that. We'll never know.

Movie | Gretchen | PASS

I really enjoyed this indie, Napoleon Dynamite-esque movie about a young high school girl who keeps falling for losers and is searching for who she is. While it's played as if it's a comedy (and there are many funny scenes), it's really a drama. This is not a happy-happy film. Courtney Davis is marvelous and I'm looking forward to more from director Steve Collins. I don't think most people would enjoy this. I did, especially that "Face your demons or they will keep coming back over and over," theme.