Two Clichés, Two Very Different Outcomes

The Hangover and G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra represent two of cinema's tried-and-true clichés. The Hangover follows four guys after their wild night in Vegas; whereas, G.I. Joe is the stereotypical summer blockbuster where a bunch of beautiful people blowup the world's most recognizable landmarks in an attempt to save the world.

The difference between the premises is that The Hangover embraces its common concept and makes it original while G.I. Joe flies on autopilot. The Hangover begins as four friends wake up in their trashed Vegas villa the morning after the century's wildest bachelor party: the groom is missing, there's a tiger in the bathroom, and a baby in the closet. The cast is hilarious, particularly Ed Helms as Stu, a tightly-would, girlfriend-whipped guy waiting to break out of his shell, and Zach Galifianakis as Alan, the groom's oddball brother-in-law-to-be. The beauty of The Hangover is that it's not about four Hollywood playboys behaving badly, but a quartet of joe shomes trying to have a good time.

G.I. Joe is not nearly as fun. The film is what you'd expect -- a group of "black ops" soldiers chasing the bad guys before they destroy the world. Instead of making an action film grounded in reality and depth (see: The Dark Knight, Iron Man), director Stephen Summers presents a film full of unnecessary flashbacks and unfunny one-liners. The performances are scattered at best. Some cast members are over-the-top and campy (Sienna Miller, Joesph Gordon-Levitt), others are there for the paycheck and to show of their toned physiques (Channing Tatum, Rachel Nichols), while a select few are downright awful (Dennis Quaid, Christopher Eccleston).

Given the choice between these two flicks, I'd rather be waking up in Vegas.

The Hangover, Grade: A-
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, Grade: C

Utah Sundays

Since the Mormons run this town, and there's nothing better to do on Sundays, I've been watching YouTube videos all morning. In doing so, I came across my all-time favorite American Idol performances:

Jennifer Hudson, "Circle of Life:"


Kimberley Locke & Frenchie Davis, "Band of Gold:"


Carrie Underwood, "Alone:"


Kelly Clarkson, "Stuff Like That There:"

The Life of a Couch Potato

It's no secret that I love television. After all, network television upfronts are some of my favorite days of the year. As the new fall television season approaches, I cannot help but get excited for my "secondary escape." The schedule below is a result of said excitement.

Disclaimer #1: I am not a 300-pound man who lives on a diet of soda and potato chips (and I even exercise!).
Disclaimer #2: I will view few of these shows in real-time, but I like the schedule concept nonetheless.

Monday
7 p.m.: Heroes (NBC)
The show doesn't deserve another chance, but I'll give it one or two episodes. I never divorce shows that I'm with from the beginning, but Heroes is mighty close to being dropped.

8 p.m.: Gossip Girl (CW)
I'm ashamed to say I watch this. I have the music taste of a teenage girl, so why can't my television interests follow suit?

9 pm: Nothing(!)
Maybe I'll actually do something productive.... yeah, right.

Tuesday
7 p.m. - 8 p.m.: So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
My favorite summer show makes the move to prime time, and I definitely won't have a problem being just as obsessed.

9 p.m.: The Good Wife (CBS)
Politics plus pop culture? I am so there.

Wednesday
7 p.m.: So You Think You Can Dance (results show) (FOX)
More filler, but the group dances are some of my favorites.

8 p.m.: Glee (FOX)
Last fall's pilot was the most fun and original hour of television in quite sometime. Crossing my fingers that the rest of the episodes keep pace.

9 p.m.: Modern Family (ABC) (recorded from 8 p.m.)
A fall comedy with huge potential. Plus, I've always had a thing for Julie Bowen.

Thursday
7 p.m.: Survivor (CBS)
The granddaddy of all reality television, and I still cannot get enough.

8 p.m.: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
The final three episodes of last season were classic Grey's. Hopefully Ellen Pompeo's pregnancy doesn't screw up the momentum.

9 p.m.: Flash Forward (ABC) (recorded from 7 p.m.)
The sci-fi show that bumped Ugly Betty to Friday. I'll test it out for a few episodes.

Friday
7 p.m.: Nothing (again!)
Actually, I'd like to try out both Parks & Recreation and Community... maybe they both can go here.

8 p.m: Southland (NBC)
Without question, last year's most underrated show. I'm praying that there are enough fans to keep it alive.

9 p.m.: Ugly Betty (ABC) (recorded from 9 p.m.)
Friday is the night where shows go to die. Is Betty really on life support?

Saturday
I need a life. No Saturday television for me.

Sunday
7 p.m: The Amazing Race (CBS)
One day I'll be a contestant. One day...

8 p.m.: Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Has definitely fallen from it's first season glory, but it's still good for a few laughs.

9 p.m: Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
My favorite drama hit a few bumps last season, but I am confident season four will bring the show back to form. (My advice: more Nora, less Ryan.)

Even with all that, I still haven't found time to get into critically-acclaimed shows like 30 Rock, The Office, and How I Met Your Mother. Plus LOST, American Idol, and Parenthood all hit the airwaves mid-season. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?

Happy watching...

A Typical Love Story

It's often more difficult to watch a mediocre film with potential than one that is downright awful. The Time Traveler's Wife is one of those movies. With source material from a best-selling novel, two talented and gorgeous leads (Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams), and an Oscar-winning screenwriter (Bruce Joel Rubin, Ghost), The Time Traveler's Wife has all of the ingredients for success, but it falls flat.

Henry DeTamble (Bana) has a genetic disorder. Without warning, he disappears and travels throughout time. (Whenever Henry does travel, he cannot take his clothes with him, so the film could be titled, How Often Can Eric Bana Get Naked?). Henry often travels to the same places, often where he can interact with loved ones. One of those people is Claire Abshire (Rachel McAdams), his (future) wife. He first meets Claire when she is six (he's forty-something) in a field behind her parents' home, and she falls in love with him immediately. Years later, when they finally meet in real-time, their love story begins.

It's quite bizarre and confusing watching an older man befriend a young girl whom he will one day marry. All creepiness aside, The Time Traveler's Wife succeeds when it's a story about love not about science fiction. There's not a problem with the story, the time traveling makes the film interesting -- it's the way that director Robert Schwentke handles it. The film spends too much time on Henry's naked time travels and not enough establishing the smoldering love between himself and Claire.

Bana and McAdams are formidable leads with chemistry. McAdams is particularly strong. She has yet to misstep in her career, and the performance here is another for her resume. Bana is equally reliable, and it's quite a feat that a muscular Australian can play vulnerability so well, but he is also part of the film's problem. As Henry travels, he is seen at varying ages, but Bana looks exactly the same in every scene.

The second half of the film, which is less dependent on the time traveling, is far better than the first, but it's not enough to elevate this mediocre love story.

Grade: B

An Adrenaline Rush

American audiences don't like films about war. Just see the box office returns for Lions for Lambs, Rendition, and Stop Loss. However, if there's one Iraq film that audiences should see -- it's The Hurt Locker.

It's Baghdad circa 2004 and Bravo Company, which specializes in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), has a new squad leader, Staff Sargent William James (Jeremy Renner). James is reckless and committed; he's the most intense character to grace the silver screen in recent memory. He often breaks protocol and goes rogue, and as the film follows his 38-day stint with Bravo Company, there are few mild-mannered moments.

Director Kathryn Bigelow captures the brutality of Iraq brilliantly. The tension during the EOD scenes is especially heart-wrenching. Bigelow also draws superb performances from her cast, particularly from Renner. His commitment to the character is essential because without it the audience wouldn't understand James' addiction to war.

Screenwriter Mark Boal co-wrote 2007's Iraq-themed and underrated In the Valley of Elah, and his Hurt Locker script is even better. The film has an underlying message, but unlike most wartime films, Locker doesn't beat you with lessons on morality. The Hurt Locker is gritty and real, and examines the psyche of the American solider better than any film out there.

Grade: A

Intelligent Design

Science fiction gets a bad rap. Films about aliens are usually dismissed as heavy on the action and light on just about everything else. District 9 (much like recent offerings including the Battlestar Galactica televesion series and J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot) breaks the "science fiction mold" and is entertainment that is fun, accesible, and (most importantly) smart.

Director Neil Blomkamp sets the film up documentary style, much like last year's disappointing Cloverfield. With Johannesburg, South Africa as the backdrop, Blomkamp tells the story of how aliens came to Earth. Twenty eight years ago, a giant spaceship parked itself above South Africa. Three months later, humans broke into the idle ship and discovered an entire alien race.

Today, the aliens, not-so-affecitionaly called "Prawns," live in District 9, a fenced off slum in the middle of Johannesburg. Humans are none to happy with the millions of Prawns taking over their city, and as a result the government enlists the Multi-National Corporation to evict the species and relocate them to the "less posh" slum - District 10. The film follows a 74-hour period during the eviction.

District 9 has obvious references to racism and apartheid, but nothing that is overly heavy handed (Blood Diamond, anyone?). The film's action is gritty and fast -- there are more than a few times when guts (both Prawn and human) cover the camera lense. The action isn't simply gratuitous either, it all speaks to the film's greater message of mankind's inhumanity (though I won't lie -- the Prawn weapons are pretty awesome).

It's rare that a film can be both allegorical and entertaining, but that's exactly what District 9 is. If anything, Blomkamp's film is slightly long and a few of the action sequences feel awfully convenient, but District 9 proves that, yes, there is intelligent life out there.

Grade: A-

Mastering the Art of Quality Acting

Four years ago, had you told anyone that come 2009 Meryl Streep would be one of Hollywood's most consistent box office stars they would have laughed in your face. While she was considered the world's best living actress, she never delivered huge box office numbers. However, at age 60, Streep has completely changed the model of success. With 2006's superb performance in The Devil Wears Prada and last year's light-hearted romp, Mamma Mia! Streep has claimed her place at the forefront of pop culture and Julie & Julia will, no doubt, keep her there.

Julie & Julia is a two-part story that follows culinary-queen Julia Child (Meryl Streep) as she breaks into the world of food, and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) a post-9/11 cubical worker as she blogs about her 365-day-adventure of cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The Julia portion of Julie & Julia is a delight. When Child arrives in France in 1949 with her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) she needs a hobby. There is little that can satisfy her until she enrolls in the Cordon Bleu cooking school. It's an absolute joy watching her commit to her newfound love of wanting the world to enjoy great food. This is where Streep is an absolute marvel (not surprisingly). Her Julia is an absolute joy, waltzing across the screen with unfettered passion. It's doubtful that anyone will be able to watch this performance without a "perma-grin."

The Julie half of the film isn't nearly as fantastic, but it's close. Adams may be the most likeable actress in Hollywood, and it's impossible not to fall in love with her. However, as she cooks and blogs her way through Child's masterpiece Julie claims to be a "bitch" and hints at vulgarity, but those qualities just aren't apparent throughout the course of the film. Director/screenwriter/producer Nora Ephron's script wants Julie to be a typical New Yorker with the charm of a southern belle, but it just doesn't work.

However, buoyed by Hollywood's new gruesome twosome (last seen together in Doubt), Julie & Julia is the rare August flick that will leave a good taste in your mouth.

Bon Appetit!

Grade: A-

(95) Minutes of Bliss

(500) Days of Summer is not a love story. The film makes that clear within the first 60 seconds. In fact, the film isn't even that "happy." However, it may be the best "romantic comedy" to come out of Hollywood in years. Go figure.

Summer takes the romantic comedy clichés and turns them inside out. The film tells the story of Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) 500-day relationship out of order. For example, the story jumps from day 17 to day 254 and then back to day 97. The method makes each day, no matter how seemingly insignificant, integral to the story of infatuation, love, and rejection.

The film is a perfect telling of today's 20-something's version of love. Backed with an ideal soundtrack, highlighted by two ditties from Regina Spektor, (500) Days captures the essence of unrequited love. However, the film would have never succeeded without such strong lead performances. Deschanel, with her doe-eyed sweetness gives Summer an inherent sense of innocence while still being an independent, modern woman. Gordon-Levitt proves an equal sparring partner with Hollywood's new go-to emo girl. In fact, he's sensational. Every crease in face, every glimmer in his eye, every lip quiver speaks to his unwavering love for Summer. While he may not be 6'2" with bluging biceps, with a performance like this, Hollywood will have a hard time not casting him as a leading man.

Even though it's not a story of fairy tale love, (500) Days of Summer is a blissful experience that will hopefully show Hollywood that it is possible to make an intelligent, original romantic comedy.

Grade: A

Harry Potter: Better with Age

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was arguably the most anticipated movie of the summer. However, unlike most summer fare, this cinematic adventure delivers.

The film's opening sequence, as death eaters terrorize the muggle (human) world, sets the tone for the nearly three-hour adventure, and is CGI magic at its best (and it's even better in IMAX). Prince is just as dark and ominous as its predecessor, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As evil transcends around him, our "boy wonder," Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) prepares to return to Hogwarts for his fifth year at the magical school. However, before he can return, clairvoyant headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) sends Harry on a mission to bring Potions professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) back to Hogwarts in order to learn more about one of Slughorn's former students, Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort).

Plots details aside, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best Potter movie since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Much of the credit goes to screenwriter Steve Kloves for condenscing yet maintaining the spirit of one of J.K. Rowling's beloved works. Director David Yates also proves the the Potter franchise is safe is his very capable hands. He draws solid performances from the film's young stars (Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint), but its the old chaps that steal the show. Gambon continues to play Dumbledore with fierce conviction, and no one appears to be having more fun on screen than Broadbent.

After a few subpar cinematic outings (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) the Half-Blood Prince seems to have righted the ship in preparation for 2010's two-parter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Grade: B+