Month: August 2008 (Page 4 of 6)

Watching the Detectives

August 12, 2008 /

Cillian Murphy is the last guy that most people would ever imagine popping up in a romantic comedy, but he pulls it off remarkably well in Paul Soter’s directorial debut, “Watching the Detectives.” Best described as “‘High Fidelity’ for the movie lover,” the film stars Murphy as Neil, a self-proclaimed film buff who runs an old-school video store that specializes in genre flicks and cult classics. When a sexy spitfire (Lucy Liu) enters his store one day, Neil’s world is turned upside down as he’s forced to keep up with her spontaneous and adventurous lifestyle in order to win her heart. A lighthearted rom-com made for film geeks by film geeks, “Watching the Detectives” is much better than I was expecting. Cillian Murphy delivers a solid performance in the lead role, while Lucy Liu piles on the charm as the ultimate high-maintenance girlfriend. Though it may shock some to discover that the movie was written and directed by Soter (one-fifth of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard), it’s a more-than-respectable “solo project” that should finally earn him a shot at stepping behind the camera for the Lizards’ next project.

Click to buy “Watching the Detectives”

External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Reviews

Intervention: Season One – Then and Now

August 10, 2008 /

It’s always fun to give A&E the business for having changed their format so dramatically that you often need to a microscope to find either art or entertainment in their programming, but it must be said that, of the countless reality shows that fill the network’s roster these days, “Intervention” is an enthralling series that provides a look at the depths of addiction and the torture that addicts put their friends and family through. Rather than focusing specifically on drug addiction, the show also delves into people with gambling issues and…shopping addiction? That one feels a bit sketchy, if only because it feels less like an addiction than an obsessive-compulsive situation, but, hey, I’m not doctor. Perhaps they’re one in the same. Though the majority of the people spotlighted are average folks, there are a couple of exceptions, including Travis Meeks, lead singer of Days of the New, and Vanessa Gomez, who played nurse Wendy Goldman during the first three seasons of “E.R..” (Gomez is the one with the shopping addiction, by the way.) Though “Intervention” feels decidedly voyeuristic, it can’t be said to sensationalize addiction. It’s sometimes excruciating to watch, and if you’re not an addictive personality, you’ll find yourself wanting to smack these people around for the way they’ve been doing drugs when they could’ve been living great lives and doing great things, but at least the bonus updates on four of the six spotlighted individuals show that the majority of them have been winning their battles. Still, you have to wonder about the other two whose fates aren’t updated…and, unfortunately, you really have to fear the worst.

Click to buy “Intervention: Season One – Then and Now”

Documentaries, External Entertainment, External TV, Reality TV, Reviews, TV, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

The Passion of Greg the Bunny: The Best of the Film Parodies, Vol. 2

August 9, 2008 /

The mourning continues over the early demise of “Greg the Bunny” from the Fox line-up, which had so much potential that was never allowed to be exercised by the network, but at least we still have the gang’s film parodies from their show on IFC. As usual, there’s plenty of occasionally tasteless comedy to be found amongst the movie-related gags, with Greg, Warren, and Count Blah taking shots at “Monster,” “Dogville,” VH-1’s “Behind the Music,” Biblical epics, body-switching flicks, and David Lynch’s entire oeuvre. Your personal mileage may vary, but for my money, you can’t beat “The Passion of the Easter Bunny: Fabricated American Movie,” which reunites Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank from “American Movie” to great effect while skewering Christianity more than enough to get everyone involved a free pass into Hell. (Example: while playing Jesus, Greg says that, after the Last Supper, “I just thought I’d hang out and try to get some sun; I don’t want to be nailed down to any specific plans.”) Like Volume 1, this set is thoroughly filled with special features, including audio commentary, deleted scenes, webisodes, a gag reel, Warren’s failed pilot for a “Dinner for Five”-like series, interviews with Greg and Warren from Comic-Con 2006, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and footage of Greg from his earliest public-access days. Lastly, remedying a complaint about the previous volume, we’re also finally given “Fur on the Asphalt,” the reunion special which serving as the transition between the Fox series and Greg’s return to IFC.

Click to buy “The Passion of Greg the Bunny: The Best of the Film Parodies, Vol. 2”

External Entertainment, External Movies, External TV, Movies, Reviews, TV, TV Comedies, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Manswers: The Best of Season One

August 8, 2008 /

Wow. Just…wow. If you’re a guy, you probably at least like the idea of Spike TV, which loves to pitch itself as the definitive place on the dial for manly men to tune in and always find a safe viewing haven. The reality, however, is that Spike is full of programming that will actually suck the intelligence right out of your cerebellum. No series makes this more evident than “Manswers,” a show which professes to solve all of the mysteries of manhood but selects the majority of its topics by trying to appeal to the total-douchebag demographic. This best-of disc collects the top 25 Manswers from Season 1, throwing in a few bonus Manswers at no extra charge, but aside from a few fun questions like “how many floors can you fall in an elevator and still survive” and “how many people have been killed by vending machines,” the majority of the queries are strictly lame fratboy crap like, “How big do boobs have to be to crush a beer can?” Thanks to the added bonus of an obnoxious announcer who makes the guy who does those monster truck pull voiceovers sound like he’s on valium, just put in this DVD, hit “play,” and you’ll be O.D.’ing on testosterone in no time.

Click to buy “Manswers: The Best of Season One”

External Entertainment, External TV, Reality TV, Reviews, TV, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Lewis Black: Anticipation

August 8, 2008 /

His “Daily Show” appearances tend to miss the mark more often than not, but as a stand-up comic, Lewis Black is at the peak of his powers: hot on the heels of last year’s Grammy-winning The Carnegie Hall Performance comes “Anticipation,” another collection of rants from the most well-known self-proclaimed socialist in the comedy world. You’d think listening to Black come up with reasons to sputter and yell would start to get old after a while – and you’d be right, especially during those “Daily Show” segments, when he often seems to be straining for the crowd’s amusement – but he hits his targets more often than not on this set. Per its title, this collection is geared toward anticipation – specifically, how foolish it is, whether you’re a golfer hitting the course in search of a good game, a gambler looking for a big win, or a kid looking forward to opening his Chanukah presents. (This last bit includes one of the album’s best lines: “Ooh, a pen and a pencil! Good thing I have two eyes!”) If you’ve already got a Black album in your collection, you probably don’t need this one to go with it – but it’s still pretty damn funny. Long may he roar.

Click to buy “Lewis Black: Anticipation”

Humor, Reviews, Stand-Up Comics

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