Oh yes indeed we are!
Month: May 2008 (Page 12 of 17)
When we American fans of British comedy fell in love with “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” there was little question that the folks at the BBC would eventually take advantage of the growing cult surrounding the work of Simon Pegg and release his early series, “Spaced,” on DVD. And, really, how could they not? After all, look at these raves from famous people who are, by virtue of their fame, better than you:
* “Watching ‘Spaced’ is kinda like watching a Kevin Smith film if Kevin Smith had any real talent.” – Kevin Smith
* “I watch and re-watch ‘Spaced’ from time to time to remind myself how good television comedy can be.” – Matt Stone
“The best thing out of England since Winston Churchill.” – Seth Rogen
“I laughed hard, and I hate comedy.” – Judd Apatow
“Annoyingly good.” – Eddie Izzard
“‘Spaced’ is a to-be-envied, to-be-cherished blend of pop culture heartbreak and genuine human hilarity. It’s also a foolproof Idiot Test. Here’s how it works: if someone ever tries to duplicate, replicate, or otherwise re-do this one-of-a-kind show, they’re an Idiot! Aren’t we all lucky to have such a thing in our world?” – Patton Oswalt
“Innovative. Witty. Hilarious. ‘Spaced’ is the show we American comedians watch and say, ‘How the hell did they get away with this?!’ Buy this and you can officially be cool.” – Bill Hader
Of course, some of us couldn’t wait for the domestic release – cough-cough Jason Zingale cough-cough – and had to buy a British copy of the set to watch on their region-free DVD player, but we’re guessing those people will still be ordering this set – due for release on June 17 – if only because of the special features.
All two seasons and 14 episodes of “Spaced” will be packaged within the set, of course, but there’ll also be new exclusive commentary with director Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), and guests Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Bill Hader, Matt Stone, Patton Oswalt and Diablo Cody, an exclusive Spaced On Stage reunion Q&A recorded at the National Film Theatre, London in October 2007, and “Skip to the End,” an exclusive feature length documentary. There’ll also be outtakes, deleted scenes, raw footage, a photo gallery, newly updated cast and crew biographies, but something particularly eyecatching is a feature that the “Gilmore Girls” sets could’ve used: an Homage-O-Meter, an onscreen feature that tracks each pop-culture reference.
“Spaced.” You know you want to buy it. Too bad it’s not on Amazon for pre-order yet…but it will be.
Oh, yes: it will be.
It’s Friday. Wait, that never stops me from posting this sort of stuff any other day…
While I got really nervous just before election day — you never really know what those crazy voters are thinking, even if we have polls coming out of every orifice — but I have no compunction whatever in predicting, along with the people who (think they) know, that the #1 movie this week will not be a new release, but last week’s expectations beating megachamp, “Iron Man.” But while Marvel stockholders are counting their money and the rest of us are wondering when Hillary’s going to drop out, there is a race for second place this week, though it’s also pretty easy to call….
*How long has it been since I was puzzling over the identity of “Racer X”? Well, let’s just say it was slightly longer ago than 135 minute runtime for the Wachowski Brothers version of “Speed Racer,” a movie that’s been gestating since I had a full head of hair. 135 minutes is a long sit for most members of the pre-13 set (and many in the post-13 set), and with the Wachowski’s erratic storytelling skills apparently confirmed by a lackluster 34% Tomatometer score, this one might drive some to distraction and have weaker than usual legs for a family friendly film with considerable adult nostalgia/geek appeal.
Also, the would be blockbuster’s trailers look less like anime and more like a particularly gaudy video game, and that might not help with the grown-up side of the equation, though J. Hoberman (almost the last critic standing at the Village Voice) has some backhanded compliments. Also, as my esteemed colleague Jason Zingale noted, the casting here is spot on, with Emile Hersh (last seen starving for his art with Sean Penn) as Speed, Christina Ricci (freed from Sam Jackson’s radiator) as galpal Trixie, Matthew Fox (I haven’t watched “Lost” since halfway through it’s first season, so I can’t make a joke) as the mysterious Racer X, and master thesps Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as Mom and Pops Racer. (It’s also got Stephen Colbert’s very special Korean popstar nemesis, Rain, who’s getting okay reviews.) The very strong cast should be good for some tickets, at least until word about the kid-patience-testing length gets out.
*Since we’ve been basing movies on video games and theme park rides, why not movies drawn from tourism board ad campaigns? That’s the question asked by the makers of “What Happens in Vegas,” a rom-com made even less enticing than usual by the presence of the questionably talented Ashton Kutcher, here paired with the far more able Cameron Diaz, who could really use a bit of respect and a hit without the word “Shrek” in the title. In the case, the premise of a drunkenly married couple forced to spend months of “hard matrimony” might be good for $10 million or so. It would help if its word of mouth is better than the reviews, which have a fairly nasty tinge this time. Even benevolent blurbmistress Susan Granger is brandishing her rhetorical butter knives on this one.
And, in other news…. After opening in just a couple of theaters last week, writer-director David Mamet’s Redbelt goes wide in over a thousand theaters this weekend. Personally, I think that might be a case of too-much too-soon for this relatively smallish film, but I wish it well and look forward to seeing it myself. “Son of Rambow” is also expanding with a more modest, and possibly shrewder, additional 31 theaters.
In the “ouch” department, the follow-up to Henry Bean’s outstanding 2002 indie, “The Believer,” “Noise,” a comedy of sorts, is opening in two theaters and no one seems to care much, despite starring a couple of our best, Tim Robbins and William Hurt. Shame.
And considering we are aligned with an online men’s mag, I should make mention of the opening of “The Babysitters” in very limited release. The premise of this black comedy is pretty much the premise of the similarly titled film you’re likely to find in the blocked off section in the back of the vid store. The reviews are about what you’d expect, and then some. Take the semi-literate, quasi-grammatical critique by Prairie Miller:
The Babysitters is a pathetic excuse to trot out a procession of teenage girls in the raw, performing graphic simulated sex acts with your basic suburban family man drooling all over himself. Going home and taking a hot, soapy shower after viewing, is highly recommended.
By God, Prairie is right. One needs no excuses, pathetic or otherwise, to show graphic simulated sex acts — they are there own justification. As for “hot, soapy showers” following a viewing, well it’s kind of a waste of water compared to baby oil, but sure.
Just when I was beginning to feel comfortable with the various mysteries surrounding the show, the writers had to go and throw a new one into the mix that is so unbelievably confusing, I’m beginning to question if they still know what they’re doing. I mean, I totally buy the whole Ben Linus/Charles Widmore connection, but since when did Locke become such an important entity that he was literally being recruited by Dharma as a child?
In fact, Richard Alpert didn’t only visit him as a prematurely born baby (I’m still curious as to how Alpert manages to remain the same age for nearly 50 years), but he contacts him twice more throughout his childhood – once under the guise of a “school for special kids” and again via a pamphlet for a Portland-based science camp. Then, as an adult going through rehab following his accident, Locke is visited by another Dharma suit: Abaddon, who suggests that he experience the Australian walkabout to help discover himself. It’s all very coincidental, and while the writers utilized this same tactic in the first two seasons, those instances weren’t bound by such disbelief.
Nevertheless, it appears Locke is the new (less evil) Ben, and after dreaming about a conversation with a former Dharma worker named Horace, the trio set off to find the cabin using Locke’s newly learned information. It’s with a map he finds in the Dharma death pit (i.e. the place Ben dumped all the bodies) that they’re able to locate the always moving cabin, but Locke is sent in alone when Ben declares that his destiny has already been fulfilled. When he enters, however, Locke doesn’t find his expected guest, but rather… Dr. Christian Shepherd, who claims he can speak on Jacob’s behalf.
This is where the show totally lost me, because not only does it not make sense that Jack’s father is on the island (and seemingly not a ghost), but apparently, Claire is now a part of the whole cabin/Jacob secret as well. She’s acting mighty creepy, too, and if that weren’t enough, Christian has just told Locke that in order to save the island, he’s going to have to move it. In the words of Harold Lee, “What the fuck?”
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 Premium Hollywood
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑