RIP | J.D. Salinger

Catcher certainly inspired many writers and enthralled an equal number of readers. Salinger may have been an extremely odd person, but I tip my hat to such an amazing author.

RIP, Salinger.

Check out this hilarious comment on Borowitzreport.

Movie | Day the World Ended | Pass

For wannbe filmmakers like me, Roger Corman is a god of indy film. Having produced nearly 400 films, he's the master of expolotation. But, he's more than that. He's a beacon of light for those of us drawn to making fun movies on a low budgets with second-tier actors. Not only that, he's darn good at it.

This scifi thriller from 1955 is about as hokey as they get, but it's also brilliant. They created an entire atmosphere with minimal sets and got the most from very little.

Everything is hokey - the acting, the music, the filming and especially the FX. Just another guy in a rubber suit type stuff (say hello to starfish face for me, willya?). And the intentional avoidance of reality in terms of atomic fallout is absurb.

But it all comes together in this story of a group of people holed up in a house out in the woods after a nuclear war. There's something out in the woods...will it get them or will they destroy themselves first?

Is this a good movie? No. But, it's a cultural and historical touchstone as well as being a guide for low budget film students (it was shot in 9 days!).

Two radiated thumbs up!

Movie | U-571 | Pass

A slightly less than memorable movie about Americans who get a hold of a Nazi submarine and use it to capture and escape with a top secret cipher machine.

Good action, historical inadequacies and goofs, a forgettable soundtrack and dated cinematography are alleviated by a good cast, though I would have liked to have seen more of Bill Paxton. Harvey Keitel is just too good of an actor to be wasted in this lackluster role. I wonder why he took this gig.

Director Jonathon Mostow is not one of those directors that you expect something really different from and he delivers on that promise. At the same time, he isn't terrible. Just average.

This was not a bad way to pass a cold winter evening before bed, but it doesn't quite match up to other sub classics like Das Boot, The Hunt for Red October or The Enemy Below.

Movie | No Country For Old Men | Pass

The Coen brothers are back with this mix of Blood Simple and Barton Fink with a modern day western twist, a la 1978. There's no humor in this story of a guy who stumbles across a drug deal gone bad and makes off with two million dollars. A single focused killer for hire is sent after him and things go really bad.

Extremely violent, with a knockout cast there are quite a bit of those trademark Coen Bro nebulous story and character elements (Tommy Lee Jones' character in general and the ending, are two examples among several). That will probably bother some people, but I loved it.

The other thing I loved is the complete lack of any and all music in the soundtrack. That's a huge risk and can result in a really boring movie. Or, as the Coens did, you use the atmospheric sounds to create an environment that not only makes the fantasy world of a movie more real, but can also trigger nostalgic sense memories. Kudos to them for this risky move! It paid off.

A picture perfect cast, with superb actors. Everything else is perfect, too. This would make a really good duo with another thinker's Western, The Proposition.

Two thumbs up.

Movie | The Vindicator | Pass

This movie got a Pass not because it was even remotely good, but because it was hilariously bad in such a special 80s Exploitation way.

A scientist is killed in a lab and his body is used to create a cyborg for the military(? - it's not entirely clear). Think Robocop without any control, mixed with Frankenstein (down to the scene where he shows empathy to a child...eh, who needs originality?!?). He goes into aggression mode if you touch him and he can't control himself.

The acting is just so bad that you feel sorry for the actors. Surely they are all better than this. Several of the faces were recognizable, but I could only identify a few, including Pam Grier and Maury Chaykin. Grier plays some sort of gun for hire, tasked with getting rid of The Vindicator by the people who created him, Chaykin is a scientist in the background and has pretty much no role at all.

The director of this flotsam also directed Eddie and the Cruisers Part 2, so that gives you a really good idea of what to expect here. Nothing whatsoever.

Very, very dated and a terrible movie unless you want to laugh at the 80s cliches...for which it's perfect!

Music | Civil Twilight: Civil Twilight | Pass

If you love the band U2, stop reading now.

I have to admit, I don't like U2. I find their music really annoying. There is no doubt in my mind that they are one of the best rock bands in decades, but they hit all the wrong buttons for me.

This band, Civil Twilight, is everything I wish they were, with a darker, edgier sound. I also like the lead singer's voice more than Bono's.

Hailing from Cape Town, Africa, this is their second album and it is superb. As insinuated, most of the tracks sound very U2-esque, with the exception of the second track, Soldier, that could have easily been on one of the earliest The Police albums.

Letters From The Sky is the standout track and is surely destined to be a radio favorite. Very downbeat, with an awesome, building power, it's what got me interested in hearing more. But, there's no dud track anywhere on the album.

Two thumbs up! Strap on the headphones and crank it up.

Movie | Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach | Pass

Seann William Scott stars as a high school janitor turned tennis coach in this low-brow, gross-out, direct-to-video comedy.

With expectations so low, you'd think there wasn't a single redeeming quality about the production. Most likely, you'll feel exactly that way in the first five minutes. Oh, and revulsion at the really nasty jokes...and it doesn't get any better until the the credits roll.

But, this movie also contains the same qualities as the old John Hughes movies from the 80s. The guy gets the girl, there's a lot of teen angst, a kid stands up to his abusive father, the nerds have their day, etc. It's all been done before (and done better, too!), but it's still interesting to me and I rather enjoyed this flick.

If you like Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and the aforementioned Hughes catalog, it might be worth a try.

Strangely, a Pass.

Congrats | Betty White Receives Lifetime Award | PASS

Uber-actor, humanitarian and superb comedian Betty White has received a lifetime achievement award at this years' SAG Awards. I say...it's about time!

You rock, Betty!

TV | The Deep End | Fail

They got us AGAIN! Turned this pilot off after 20 minutes. This had an interesting cast, including the superb Tina Majorino. But, it was just another backstabbing lawyer show, with nothing new or interesting going on. Not enough intrigue to keep us going, either. Now, we did only see a few minutes, but sheesh...how about something, anything interesting happening!?! Nope. Maybe this show will find its' legs, but we probably won't stick around to find out.

Too bad. Fail.

Movie | The Wackness | Fail

Shootfire, we were really on a roll tonight. Another bomb that got turned off after 30 minutes. This one is about a lonely young drug dealer in the 90s. The white kids speaking Ebonics was played up waaaay over the top and the storyline was not engaging. We just kept waiting for something bad to happen. Nothing does other than he's got a thing for his therapist's (who also buys from him) unlikeable daughter. I can't remember why I wanted to see this dud. Probably because I'd heard good things about the newbie director. Guess I was wrong.

Movie | Duplicity | Fail

To be honest, we turned this off after the first 30 minutes. Maybe that's when it gets good! But, probably not.

Clive Owens and Julia Roberts are some sort of double crossing corporate spies. They pretend that they are not a couple, but they are. In the portion of the movie that we watched, we neither cared or wanted to care. Zero character development wasn't even the worst part. The real problem was a purposefully confused (and confusing plot). It was annoying and insulting, frankly.

The supporting cast was equally noteworthy, including Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti, neither of which could save this dud, either. Slick filming just rubbed more salt into the wound.

FAIL.

Movie | Ten Inch Hero | Pass (barely)

This romantic comedy was all over the place. Basically a Mystic Pizza set in southern California, the cast can't quite make up for the disjointed and predictable storyline. All of the separate plots never gel with any real satisfaction. Still, the actors do the best they can with what they have. Truly a group effort, I enjoyed watching Clea DuVall, who was so marvelous in Carnivale. This movie did nothing for her career. John Doe, of the band X, plays a hippie-dippy sandwich shop owner. And Jensen Ackles (one of the stars of Supernatural) plays a punky young dude with a crush on the town floozy. Out of everyone, Ackles makes the most of his role.

There is some humor that will make you cringe. Otherwise, this is a light, disposable, rather forced "quirky" film. Barely a pass.

Movie | The Omega Man | Pass

Charlton Heston is his usual overacting self in this cool but hokey remake of the scifi thriller, The Last Man On Earth.

Basically a take on the zombie theme, but this time the creatures are not mindless meat eaters. Instead, they're diseased humans that are sensitive to light who just want to get rid of the last vestiges of the technology that made them the way they are. Who can blame them?

The whole production is so hilariously 70s that it's hard not to just sort of fall into that world. From the huge afros to the aviator glasses that practically cover the entire face, the clothing and the slang, it's a lot of fun.

I remembered that there was something that I didn't like about this movie, so when I saw it again it came back to me. The soundtrack has got to be one of the worst ever. It just doesn't fit the movie at all.

A scifi classic. See this in a double feature with the related movie, I Am Legend. And read the book by Richard Matheson!

Movie | Big Fan | Pass

Written by the same guy that wrote The Wrestler, you pretty know what to expect: an examination of brutally pathetic characters who live in New Jersey.

Surprisingly, that's exactly what you get. But this time around, instead of Mickey Rourke, you get Patton Oswalt. Oswalt is flat out marvelous in this movie. Just superb and this is a very good dramatic vehicle for him. He drives the movie along, sad at times and scary at others. I hope we see more movies with him as the star. He's a breath of fresh air compared to the Brad Pitts of the cinema world.

Kevin Corrigan is perfect as his best friend, fluctuating from leech-like idol worship to something beyond that.

Unlike The Wrestler, this movie does not have a nasty, truly disturbing angle. To me, that movie was over the top. This movie just focuses on the interesting bits - character development. And, boy, does this movie have character.

If you can't already tell, I liked it a lot, but it's not a particularly uplifting movie. Two thumbs up - one red and one blue.

Movie | Alien Raiders | Pass

Looking for a really good B-movie horror/scifi/thriller that was made recently? This is a perfect one! Entertaining storyline, good acting, decent soundtrack and plenty of edge of your seat moments. While there is some gore and violence, it's not over the top, thankfully.

The plot begins with a group of masked gunman taking hostages at a grocery store. The police arrive quickly on the scene, but the bad guys don't seem that interested in negotiating...

I really enjoyed this little independent movie. Other than some poor camera angle choices, I thought it really fit the bill. A nice little surprise!

I didn't recognize any of the actors, except Bonita Friedericy (who plays General Beckman in Chuck). I don't know the director, either.

This was the first feature film that utilized the new Panasonic HDX3000. I thought the footage looked great, without the typical video look. If these new cameras can look so good, I think it's another nail in celluloid's coffin (at least for indies like this).

Cool! Two thumbs up.

Short Movie | I Love Sarah Jane | Pass

It disturbs me deeply that this sort of content is so easily accessible to children. This is most definitely rated R and should not be seen by little kids. Shame on YouTube for making it so easy. They need a way to offer some kind of control to parents other than looking over their shoulders constantly.

Having said that, this is an interesting take on the the old zombie genre, this time from a pre-teen viewpoint. Relatively slow paced, with decent acting and direction, the plot is simple yet rewarding without too much explanation of why the scenario presented exists.

There's some interesting buzz about the newbie director, but I didn't see anything that seemed all that promising to me. There's nothing really new here and the Aussie angle doesn't count (see Undead if you need a good, recently released zombie movie from down under).

Love the last song and the ending. Two dead and rotting thumbs up.

Movie | The Gene Generation | Pass

It's easy to see why this is a cult favorite among the Cyberpunk set. A good cast includes a surprisingly good performance by Ling Bai. Is that a first? Might be!

This is a gloomy, dark and futuristic movie where everything and everyone has basically gone to the dogs. There is rampant gene manipulation, an unfortunate result of science gone horribly wrong. Bai is an assassin for hire, trying to buy her way to a better life for herself and her loser brother. They get caught between a couple of groups of baddies and then the fun is on!

Not a masterpiece and the CGI is mediocre (but still interesting to watch), but it's a fun enough plot line and the action is good. A bit nasty at times, but not too bad. Weirdly, Faye Dunaway is in this. I don't know why she'd want to. Seems like an odd career choice.

And it was fun to hear some good, old fashioned industrial music again (Combichrist). It's been awhile since I've heard any, frankly.

If you're into this kind of movie (and love B movies in general), this is probably a must see. For all others, probably not. One tentacle up.

Fashion | Men's Running Tights | FAIL

No no no no no NO.

Unless you're in amazing shape, resist, RESIST the urge to wear these men's running tights out in public. I am your friend, so listen to me....it is NOT a good look. It might seem like a good idea at the time...lighter, less restrictive, but it's not!

Leave this look for the ladies. They look good in it. Men do not. I've seen some guys try to cover the...um, "area"...up by wearing shorts over them. But that doesn't work, either. Besides, invariably, those guys wear silky, loose shorts (yeah, the ones with the splits up the sides - what was the purpose of THAT fashion mistake?). That does nothing but make it worse.

DON'T DO IT, guys! Just back away slowly from the tights...and just wear the same darn sweats you've been wearing for the past 20 years.

TV | Human Target | Pass

Mark Valley is a bodyguard who goes undercover to flush out bad guys out to kill his clients. Plenty of action, mediocre CGI, plot/logic holes galore and decent acting with some humor, make this action thriller a fun hour to watch.

Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) and Jacki Earle Haley (Breaking Away) are his backup and they are excellent.

If you like Chuck (same producer), you'll enjoy this one, though it's heavier on the action and less on the humor and character development (so far).

Movie | High Tech Soul | Fail

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from this movie, but I didn't get whatever it was. More about the music would have been a nice start.

This is a documentary about the creation of techno music in Detroit. It's also about the city itself, in all its' gruesome glory.

But, the film fails to connect on a personal level, even though it concentrates solely on the personalities behind the music. That's because no attempt is made to get the viewer to care about the people, even though we're obviously supposed to idolize them.

So, what you're left with is a bunch of self-aggrandizing talk heads rambling on and on about who knows what.

A disappointment. Coulda been great.

Movie | Pandorum | Pass-ish

This was one stupid movie. But, it didn't sink in how stupid it was until the end credits. And for that, it gets a pass...ish. Just barely, at that.

The action, suspense and horror angles of what is basically an Alien/Sunshine combo does keep you going, though. And the acting is pretty darn good. Nice production values, except the editing was terrible, very herky jerky and non-linear.

Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster lead a decent cast that also includes the famous kickboxer, Cung Le, who never speaks a line of English. He and an interesting German actor by the name of Antje Traue provide all of the martial arts and they're darn good at it.

This was done by the relatively new German director, Christian Alvart. He needs to get better scripts (with fewer plot holes and logic gaps) and a better editor. If he does that, he could be a fun one to watch.

This is for genre (scifi horror and action) fans only.

TV | Big Love | Pass

It's baaaaack! 

Season four of the superb show, Big Love, has once again topped itself with smashing performances and picture perfect, action-packed, twist-upon-twist plot lines.

We're in a golden age of television here folks, with several shows blossoming from rather unappealing premises. All of the folks involved with Big Love are most certainly in the pantheon of those shows.

Big Love is not about car chases, explosions or aliens. It's about political maneuvering, backstabbing, religion, business, government, sex and relationships.

A must see!

Movie | Spin | Pass

The only way for me to see Jamin Winan's film, 11:59, was to buy the DVD. That turned out to be a big mistake because that movie was awful. The only thing that was good about it turned out to be the extras, which included this fun little short, titled Spin.

A DJ witnesses an awful accident. When he sets up his turntables, he discovers that he can change what happened. But, when he "fixes" one problem, another crops up...

Very creative, with a minimal budget and very little dialogue, this was very enjoyable. Wanna see it? I'll loan you my copy of 11:59. Or, watch it on Atom Films.

Two -scratch, scratch, whicka, whicka- thumbs - pump the beat! - up.

Movie | 11:59 | Fail

What a huge disapointment from the writer/director of the spectacular and unique Ink. Extremely poorly acted, with painful dialogue, this is the story of a news cameraman who blacks out at 11:59pm - twice. Each time, he unravels a mystery. By the time you get to what the mystery is, you don't care whatsoever. What a dud.

But, there is a small cameo by Chris Kelly, the star of Ink. In the very short amount of time that he appears on screen, he blows everyone around him away. His acting skills are so far and away better than all of the other actors'...it's a pity. They should have put him in the starring role.

The guy that does star in this travesty of a film must be somebody's friend. Most likely the director's. He is painful to watch, poor guy, as is everyone else except Kelly.

Skip this one, Skipper.

Movie | Panic in Year Zero! | Pass

Ray Milland stars and directs this post-apocalyptic movie about a man who takes his family on a camping vacation. As they drive away from Los Angeles (Milland says, "Laws Angle-less"), they see a mushroom cloud over the city. Milland then leads them on a mission of survival, hiding out in a cave, dealing with a life in chaos and defending themselves against thieves and murderers.

A 23 year old Frankie Avalon costars as Milland's son.

The movie appears to be a campy, black and white, scifi movie from the 50s or 60s, but is in fact a very good study of characters in chaos. If you like The Book of Eli, The Road and similar movies, check out the forefather of those films. A forgotten gem.

Two thumbs up!

Movie | The Proposal | Pass

Imagine an American-ized version of Four Weddings and a Funeral and that's what you've got in this charming and humorous romantic comedy.

Sandra Bullock is arguably more likable (and skilled) than Andie MacDowell, while Ryan Reynolds lacks Hugh Grant's foppishness. Still, he does an excellent job and he's supported by a good cast that includes the amazing Betty White and a hilariously kooky performance by Oscar Nunez (The Office).

Two thumbs up!

Gadget | Kaossilator Pro | Pass

I have the original version, the Kaossilator, of this ingenious device. It's a small (about the size of a paperback) synthesizer that allows you to loop samples and beats. It has no keyboard, only a trackpad and is designed for use by real musicians and people like me (amateurs). Absolutely anyone can create really interesting piece of music in a very short about of time.

NK bought one for me when I was laid up for my recent operation. I played with the Kaossilator for hours and hours, never tiring of it. And now, there's a new version that addresses some of the shortcomings of the original. The update is not, in any way, a must-have if you are not a musician, the original device being just fine and the Pro doubles the retail price of the original. Ouch.

But, either way, these two devices are revolutionary, bringing musical creativity to the masses and are a must have. You'll be hooked, just like me. Try one and you'll see.

Music | Ink - The Soundtrack | Pass

This gorgeous, lush and atmospheric soundtrack is all instrumental and reflects the marvelous qualities of the film. Wistful, mysterious and a bit anxious, all of the tracks are basically a reworking of the same theme but it's done in such a marvelous way it's all worth it.

I'm listening to it now as I write this and it's perfect "in the background" music - not too loud or annoying but very catchy and inspiring.

Composed by the writer/director of the movie, this is a must listen if you love epic soundtracks like I do!

Music | Madness: The Liberty of Norton Folgate | Pass

The two-tone boys are back after a too-long break! If you loved any of their other stuff, this is more of the same. Possibly a tad updated for the times, but doesn't break any new ground really (although, maybe there's a bit more Beatles influence than I've heard before from them...but I could just be hearing things). But, that certainly isn't a bad thing. This is happy music (regardless of the lyrics) and it's nice to hear them again.

Two thumbs up!

Book | Of Wolves and Men | Pass

This superb book by Barry Lopez examines our fellow creature, the wolf. Not just a collection of data, but also a repository of lore and legends, this is a fast read for a thick book. Very entertaining and an enlightening look at a warrior animal who is part mystery and part myth.

If you love reading Jack London, Ernest Hemingway and similar authors, this is a must read.