Category: test (Page 20 of 24)

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Ausiello keeps track of the bubble shows

May 1, 2009 /

EW.com’s Michael Ausiello is tuned into the world of television, and his information can usually be trusted. He has an article devoted to the current status of all the shows (renewed, cancelled, on the bubble, etc.) and suggests that readers bookmark it. Here are his thoughts on a few of the shows currently on the bubble.

Scrubs: Prospects brightening.
The Unusuals: A long shot.
Eleventh Hour: Could go either way. Now a long shot. Hearing the crew is looking for other work.
The Unit: A long shot. Now hearing it’s a goner.
Dollhouse: Could go either way. Now hearing it’s a long shot.
Fringe: Sure thing.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: A long shot.
Chuck: Could go either way.
Life: A long shot. Now hearing it’s a goner.
Medium: Safe bet.
My Name is Earl: Could go either way. Fox may rescue it if NBC passes.
Southland: Sure thing.
Privileged: Prospects brightening.
Reaper: It’s a goner.

I’m bummed to hear that the news on “The Unit” isn’t getting better. CBS invited Shawn Ryan to pitch story ideas for another season, and the show has been pretty great the last two years. It’s good to see that “Fringe” is considered a sure thing — I hadn’t heard much about how well it was doing ratings-wise this season. “Southland” continues to get good reviews. I don’t know that the world needs another cop show. My tastes are pretty particular after watching great shows like “NYPD Blue,” “The Shield” and “The Wire,” so I haven’t watched it, but if I keep hearing good things, I may dive in this summer when there isn’t much else on.

If you don’t see your favorite show on this list, be sure to check this link for the latest info. I’d like to see Ausiello tackle some of the basic and pay cable shows on FX, TNT, TBS, USA, HBO and Showtime, but this page only covers the major networks.

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The Last House on the Left (Collector’s Edition)

March 27, 2009 /

If the aim of filmmaking is to provoke a response in the viewer, then Wes Craven’s original “The Last House on the Left” must be considered a massive success. For anyone with even a shred of decency, it’s a tough movie to sit through, and I found it be just that some 15 years ago when I first saw it. With the remake in theatres, a DVD re-release of the 1972 “classic” was a no-brainer, and I figured I’d give it another spin and see how I felt about it today. The good news is that my decency-ometer must still be working, because the first half of the film had me squirming and made me feel ill. On the other hand, as I’ve since seen far more depraved fare such as Pasolini’s “Salo” and Will Ferrell’s “Talladega Nights,” I also came away from it with more of an appreciation for what Craven unleashed all those years ago. One wonders if the Manson family killings were an influence on the piece, as it strongly evokes that time and place.

The story, if you can call it such, revolves around escaped convict Krug (David Hess) and his posse of animal followers, and what happens when they kidnap two teenage girls, Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham). What follows amounts to little more than rape, torture and death. It goes on seemingly forever, and it’s all done in a documentary style for maximum effect. The happenings are juxtaposed with scenes of two bumbling, ineffective cops, who might be there for comic relief, but really serve the narrative’s third act, which is all about taking the law into your own hands. In the last half-hour, Krug and Co. by chance arrive at the home of Mari, where her parents discover the fate of their daughter and exact revenge against the lunatics. Once you get past the generally off-putting nature of the entire affair, the biggest problem with “Last House” is that the climax isn’t anywhere near as harrowing as the setup. You never really feel that Krug and his cronies get what’s coming to them, although there may be a point buried somewhere beneath it all that people such as the parents could never achieve the same levels of brutality as Krug. Finally, there’s the weird, folksy score written and sung by Hess himself, which serves as unsettling narration. If the movie weren’t twisted enough, those songs take it to a whole other level of sickness.

Click to buy “The Last House on the Left”

Actors, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies, test

Paul Rudd, Mac, and McDonalds dance contest

March 1, 2009 /

My guess is that few, if any of us, remember the movie “Mac and Me.” A movie staring an alien that is separated from his family, searches for them, evades the government and dances in a McDonald’s, all with the aid of a child in a wheelchair (think “ET” but without being able to ride a bike). A post on Filmdrunk shows a clip from “Conan” where Paul Rudd plays a scene from “Mac and Me” instead of one from his movie “Role Models.” It has apparently been a rolling joke on the show, with Paul Rudd going straight to this scene from “Mac and Me,” forgoing the promotion of the film in which he’s starring.

As a way to further jog your memory, here is a behind the scenes clip with the painted one himself, Ronald McDonald, who introduces the movie:

With all the shameless self-promotion done in the name of the golden arches, I’ve come up with a formula for “Mac and Me.” It goes something like this: Ronald McDonald + “Mac and Me” + McDonald’s dance party in “Mac and Me” = the greatest product placement movie in history.

Gives new meaning to the phrase Mac attack.

Actors, Celebrities, Humor, Movies, test, Trailers, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies

Richard Roeper on the Oscars

February 23, 2009 /

Richard Roeper nailed all the major categories and was 21 for 24 in his predictions. He sums up the night in his latest blog.

Who knows if Mickey Rourke’s offscreen antics cost him the Best Actor trophy. More likely, Academy voters felt Sean Penn’s performance in “Milk” was more likely to resonate through the ages. Both actors played charming, doomed characters, but Harvey Milk was a real-life crusader, whereas the wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson was a fictional creation. We felt empathy for Rourke’s character, despite his self-destructive and self-loathing ways—but we felt inspired by Penn’s Harvey Milk. The roles themselves might have given Penn the edge.

I love Kate Winslet but I didn’t love “The Reader.” She was fine in a supporting role, but she was unforgettable in her much larger role in “Revolutionary Road.” Heath Ledger’s performance was Oscar-worthy. The tragedy of his death was reflected in the faces of all those talented actors who worked with him or knew him or simply appreciated his gifts. Penelope Cruz had a showcase role in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and she hit it out of the park. Like Dianne Weist and Mira Sorvino, she is also the beneficiary of a Woody Allen screenplay.

“Slumdog Millionaire” was the best movie of 2008 and one of the best 100 films I’ve ever seen. I’m thrilled for the film, the cast and of course for Best Director winner Danny Boyle.

As for the show: Hugh Jackman did a fine job in a couple of lavish and slightly wacky production numbers, and then he seemed to disappear in the second half, as is usually the case with hosts. I can’t imagine that he’d ever want to take on the job again. The ratings won’t be great, but the Oscars will still bring in more viewers than the Grammys and the Emmys combined. Until/unless they cut the ceremony to two hours and eliminate the broadcast of the “minor” categories, the numbers will continue to go down. When the viewers at home have never heard of the winner onstage, have never seen his film and have never heard of any of the people he’s thanking—that’s not timeless TV.

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Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz

February 22, 2009 /

Nate Silver is off to a rough start with his predictions. He was nervous about this one, so he hedged his bets a little, but Penelope Cruz took the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress with her performance in “Vicky Christina Barcelona.”

Here’s what Bullz-Eye.com’s Jason Zingale had to say about Cruz’s performance in his review of the film.

This is when the film is at its best, with both Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz delivering such electrifying performances that not even Scarlett Johansson’s flat delivery could ruin the moment. The two Spanish-born actors bounce off one another with such fervor that you can’t believe Allen waited this long to introduce such a poignant character. Always most effective when acting in her native tongue (look no further than “Volver” for proof of that), Cruz completely reenergizes the film to the point that she almost steals the whole thing in a matter of minutes. And she would have, were it not for the fact that Bardem is so damn charming as the womanizing Juan Antonio that you actually miss him whenever he’s not onscreen.

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