Funny People: Comedic Crisis

I have a feeling I will be taking some major flack for this one, but it pains me to say that Judd Apatow's third film Funny People is a mess. I love Apatow and his previous work. Freaks & Geeks was one of the best short lived series I've ever seen, and The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up are two of the best comedies of the decade. So why was I so unimpressed with this new offering? It is a bitter, dark, long, and unfunny film that contains not a single likable character.

Adam Sandler stars as George Simmons, a big shot comedian that learns he is dying from a rare blood disease. Living the shallow celebrity life has left George in a very lonely place. He has no friends and still pines for the one that got away: Laura (Leslie Mann). While attempting to relive his glory days as a stand up comedian, George meets Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). Ira is trying to get his stand up career off the ground, and George hires him to be his assistant. The two write jokes that only they find funny, and Ira is treated like a footstool.

If you've seen the incredibly revealing trailers you know already that George possibly beats the disease, and becomes a better person. You would only be half right. George does not become a better person. He remains the same shallow, mean spirited, and selfish character throughout the course of the film. He never inspires sympathy. The last act of the film involves George and Ira's overlong visit to see Laura and her family. George and Laura begin an affair over the course of a day, and while they screw around Ira gets to keep an eye on her kids (Apatow's own children). That is until Laura's Aussie husband Clarke (Eric Bana) comes home early and the tip-toeing around awkwardness begins.

I haven't even mentioned some of the supporting cast which include: Jonah Hill (does this guy and his characters ever stop bitching?) and Jason Schwartzman (loved Rushmore, but is turning into a bigger douche bag with every role).

I hated spending time with these people. I thought that after the first hour this film would smooth out the edges and become funny and likable. It never does. Funny People lacks the things that make Apatow films so great: The sweetness, the heart, and raunchy humor are absent. I know I will be told that this is Apatow expanding his range, and trying his hand at darker more dramatic fare. I feel it doesn't suit him. If he wanted to make a drama he shouldn't have attempted to throw humor into the mix, especially when the laughs don't connect. D+

Assorted Links

- Jack Bauer has 224 confirmed kills. I kinda thought the total would have been higher.

- Those "black" robots from Transformers: worst characters in movie history? Worse than Jar-Jar?

- Josh Brolin is the second choice (after Javier Bardem) to be "villain" in new Wall Street sequel.

- House of Flying Daggers director Zhang Yimou is remaking the Coen Bros.' Blood Simple.

Ghost Town

Ricky Gervais dies on the operating table for seven minutes, is resuscitated, and then can see all the ghosts in NYC. As usual, the ghosts all want him to do something for them -- tie up a loose end, relieve a family member's suffering, etc. If you feel like you've seen this movie a thousand times (Heart & Souls, Ghost, Sixth Sense, to name a few), you probably have. Fortunately, Gervais and Tea Leoni* create interesting, deep enough characters to keep it from falling completely into cliche territory. The movie is never laugh-out-loud funny, but is often amusing (mostly Gervais quips); however, it tends toward the maudlin near the end.

If you have to rent a date movie, you could do worse.

* Leoni should work more often. She is like the light side of the force of which Katherine Keener is the dark side.

Assorted Links

- Michelle Collins on the 15 most annoying movies of 2009 that haven't been released yet. My favorite one to hate: The Goods.

- Teaser trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

- Zemeckis talks about a possible Roger Rabbit sequel!

On DVD: Terror Tots and A Baseball Bad Boy

The Other (1972): Orphan may be a much more violent child thriller, but this one is far creepier and therefore my favorite. The story of twin boys Niles and Holland, and all of the tragedy that hangs around them over a summer. Their enemies end up jumping on pitchforks, falling down stairs, or being terrified to death by rodents. There is also a very creepy scene involving a missing newborn, and a recreation of a carnival sideshow trick. I saw this one at a very young age, and the thing that sticks with me the most is the big revelation: The well scene. I remember this being one of the freakiest moments from any movie I had ever seen at the time. Any seasoned film goer could most likely figure out the big secret rather quickly. Still, you got to respect the fact that this one has got nearly thirty years on Fight Club.

Eastbound & Down (2009): Kenny Powers became a legend at nineteen. A major league baseball pitcher with one of the biggest egos to boot. Kenny had the world in the palm of his hand. Millions of dollars, drugs, and women became a way of life. However, this six episode HBO series from creator Jody Hill and Star Danny McBride is not about the fame. It's all about the fallout. Kenny is now flat broke and has moved in with his older brother (John Hawks) and his family. Kenny gets a job as the local grade school gym teacher, and this is the last guy on earth that should be around children. Profanity in class and coke snorting in the cafeteria are regular endeavors for Kenny as he attempts to get back into the majors by exploiting his long failed celebrity. Anyone who has seen previous Jody Hill fare (The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report) already knows that this is one sick individual. His characters are so pathetic and unlikeable that watching them fail is flat out hysterical. McBride is perfect for this show, Kenny is so egotistical and un-athletic he almost inspires sympathy...almost. This is as about as dark as a comedy can get and still be funny. Hill sticks to the same layout as his previous projects, but I must admit his skill is improving. How often do you find yourself liking a show so unlikeable? I admire this show, but I admire more the fact that this show was permitted to exist.

Orphan: Foster Freak-Out

Killer kids have been the subject of numerous thrillers in past. Some are from a paranormal or satanic angle (The Omen and Village of the Damned), and some are from a psychologically damaged perspective (The Good Son). The deeply disturbing and occasionally effective thriller Orphan falls into the latter category.

Kate and John Coleman (Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard) are a couple in mourning. If alcohol abuse and infidelity weren't problems enough for these two, they now have the loss of a child on their hands. Having two children already they decide that all of their spare love would be better invested by adopting a child. This is how they meet Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), a nine year old Russian outsider that at first glance is quite charming. She dresses like a doll, paints excellent pictures with in-depth back stories, and is almost overly pleasant, polite, and intelligent beyond her years. The Colemans decide she may be too good to be true. If you haven't guessed by now: she is.

From the thriller aspect you could cut this film down the middle. The first half is actually very good. Things begin to happen around Esther, and she has spurts of dark behavior. The pigeon and the brick, the playground slide mishap, the bathroom spazz session, and the love making conversation shared between Kate and Esther come to mind. This film really works when the signs of trouble are minor. Mood setting is very important in a film like this, and Orphan succeeds at creating it. It really is a shame that it slightly drops the ball in the second half.

The more outrageous Esther's actions and behavior become, the less inclined I became to believe it possible for her to get away with them. It also allowed me to solve the major plot reveal long before the movie got there. The film turns into a process of splitting the trust of the parents up. Kate knows Esther is evil, but she plays innocent around John so well that he takes the child's word over his wife's. The final act is where this one really falls apart. Once Esther's major endgame and identity have been revealed (creepy yet predictable), Orphan turns into a by the numbers home wrecker thriller that wouldn't be complete without power outages, hiding in closets, and the hero and villain falling through the ice.

There are still elements in this film that just managed to win me over. The acting from the three leads is very strong, two intense scenes of bones being broken kept me squirming long after they had ended, and there is something very sick yet slick about those hidden black light pictures. If you have never seen an evil child horror film, then Orphan might work better for you than it did for me. B-

Note: I don't know what's scarier anymore. Seeing a child pick up a gun, or seeing a child pick up a gun and know how to use it.

Happy Blogiversary!

This week will mark two years of Reel Nerds. It's been fun. Thanks for reading!

Assorted Links

- Doc Jensen presents: the 15 must-be-explained mysteries of LOST.

- Straw Dogs remake is being cast: Can't Hollywood find any new material?

- Wacky foursome in Rodriguez's Machete: Danny Trejo (obviously), Jonah Hill, Michelle Rodriguez, and . . . DeNiro?

- Is Lars von Trier's latest film the sickest of all time?

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince: Repel the Spell

Alright let's get this out of the way: No, I've never read any of the books. I have however seen all of the films, and up until this point I have found them all at least watchable. They have never been truly excellent or terrible, but they have all been incredibly repetitive. I am now ready to draw the line. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is literally the same damn movie as all of it's predecessors. Here is a saga that does not continue a story, it just repeats it year after year. With every chapter the magic and fresh feel this story once had just gets further drained. Now were at a point where there is almost nothing new to say or do.

• Harry goes back to Hogwarts.
• Harry is reunited with his friends (Ron & Hermione) and enemies (Draco).
• Harry is introduced to the new untrustworthy teacher (Prof. Slughorn).
• Harry wins the potion formula contest.
• Harry and his team win the big Quittich match.
• Harry is confronted numerous times by the members of the dark forces, yet is always able to successfully fend off their attack.

I almost forgot, there is a new angle in this film: romantic interests. Yes, it is about as childish and lame as it sounds. Every character has a hopeless crush on another character that is already in a relationship. This gets strung out for an excruciating two hours before the film turns into the typical climatic showdown that ends on the loss of a hero and the retreat of the villains. The last three films have ended the same way as well in a predictable ...to be continued fashion.

I know it really doesn't matter how well or poorly received this film is because people are going to see it regardless. Much like the Lord of the Rings and Twilight it is nearly impossible to deter the mindset of a person who was passionate about this series before it even became a film. I have just reached the threshold of boredom with this series. It will take something truly magical or at least original to win me back. C-

P.S. The last time the sixth chapter of anything really worked, it was followed with the title Jason Lives. No joke.

Assorted Links

- New District 9 trailer. I think that seeing the aliens makes it less cool.

- Thank goodness someone else thinks "Don't Stop Believing'" has worn out its welcome.

- Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on Paul, their new, non-Edgar-Wright-directed film.

The Hurt Locker

Premise: During the violent conflict in Iraq, circa 2004, loose-cannon soldier Sergeant William James joins Bravo company's elite bomb disposal team. The team's pre-existing members, Sanborn and Eldridge, struggle to rein in James' reckless and wild behavior, while at the same time marveling at his courage and technical proficiency.

Comments:

1. There isn't really a plot; rather, the film is comprised of a series of wartime anecdotes, similar to Waltz with Bashir (sans the documentary framing). We follow Bravo company throughout the last month of its rotation, watching a series of self-contained events, including encounters with the enemy, roadside IEDs, suicide attacks, car bombs, etc. In between these events, we see how the three men deal with their high-stress positions.

2. Give director Kathryn Bigelow some credit for taking the risk of giving the heft of the screen time to relative unknowns Jeremy Renner (James), Anthony Mackie (Sanborn), and Brian Geraghty (Eldridge). Their performances were solid, if not earth-shattering, and their anonymity allows the experience of war to be the star, not to be overshadowed by celebrity. Nonetheless, a host of familiar faces appear in minor roles: Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, everybody's favorite tough guy, David Morse, Dexter's Christian Camargo, and even Evangeline Lilly (for about five seconds).*

3. The film does a fine job of avoiding politicizing the conflict, for the most part. Using the bomb squad as its focus is essential -- these guys are essentially not doing anything questionable:** they're just trying to eliminate explosives that are dangerous to them and to the public, all the while seeking to avoid confrontation. We feel the paranoia these soldiers must feel, exposed and vulnerable to attack while executing complex technical procedures, surrounded by ominous spectators and fearless interlopers, all the while trying to tame the natural fear that comes with dismantling a bomb. By sticking to experience, process, and personal anguish, Bigelow eschews vilification while still making war look like the hell that it is.

Recommendation: A must for fans of war movies. Fans of non-war action movies might be disappointed by the lack of a story arc or climax, but are encouraged to see the film anyway (there are explosions). Fans of documentaries who are not interested in the political angle of the conflict might also find it worthwhile. All others should stay away.

* Weird mini-cameos for LOST actors are not uncommon. See Matthew Fox in Smokin' Aces; Emilie de Ravin in Public Enemies; Naveen Andrews in Planet Terror; Henry Ian Cusick on 24.

** I suppose one could argue with this generalization -- feel free to register your disagreement in the comments. Sure, Sergeant James steps over the line a couple times, but that's more of a statement about his unhinged personality and less about the nature of the group's work.

Moon: I Miss the Earth So Much...I Miss My Wife

It's lonely out in space. No one understands this better than Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell). He has been single-handily working on the lunar surface for the past three years, and his contract is nearly finished. Two weeks to go until he will return home to an estranged wife and a daughter that has grown up without him. Earth has discovered an alternative fuel source called Helium 3, solar energy trapped in the surface of the moon. Sam has been hired to help harvest and ship this fuel back to earth. His only companion is GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), a robot with a comforting tone, and a possible sinister dark side.

I thought this film was going to be about how prolonged absence and isolation from the human race would drive an individual to experience space madness. For a while, it is. We see Sam begin to crack at the seams as he watches video messages, and catches visions of things that may or may not be there. While mesmerized by a vision, there is an accident and Sam wakes up in the infirmary with no memory of how he got there, only to discover he is now no longer alone.

Form there the isolation angle is dropped, and it turns into a what the hell is going on and how long have I really been here mystery. This is not high profile flashy Sci-Fi on the level of Alien or Sunshine. This has more in common with ultra low budget/high idea thriller Primer. If you have seen this film, then you will figure out Moon very quickly.

Rockwell is forced to do all of the heavy lifting seeing as how it's a one man show, but he still manages to play one character many different ways (no fair telling how). Spacey was a perfect pick to voice GERTY. He has such a calm and charismatic voice. I never knew where the line of trust would begin and end between these two.

Moon has a very appropriate title. It is a very cold and desolate experience. It is constantly interesting, but becomes a very somber and depressing tale. As a big fan of brainy and quiet science fiction films like 2001 and Silent Running, I was a little disappointed in this one. I hoped this film would further explore the effects space isolation has on the mind. Instead it turns into a different film altogether. Still, it is fair to say that films like Moon only come around once in a blue one. C+

Bruno, and an Incredulous Commentary re Male Genitalia

I saw Bruno last night, the midnight show, and I enjoyed it. It was predictable, as it followed the Borat template story-wise, and many of the gags were revealed in trailer, but it was hilarious nonetheless.

Liked: The montage of Bruno and his pygmy boyfriend going at it; getting Israelis and Palestinians to unite over the goodness of hommus; Bruno's mimed sexual scene at the fortune teller; and finding out just how much parents are willing to put their babies through for fame and fortune.

Disliked: The treatment of Ron Paul (of all the asshole politicians, why Paul, who is one of the good guys?); the inability of Cohen to realize the full comic potential of his interviews (see, especially, the terrorist, and those two stupid twins); and the whole "becoming straight" bit, which didn't yield too much good material.

But the most important thing I have to say about Bruno is this: what is with the close-up swinging dick? First, how can they get away with that and still manage an R-rating? I mean it was like 20 seconds of a dick (Cohen's? Probably.) swinging around. Could an R-rated movie get away with 20 seconds of a close up of a woman spread-eagle? (Of course not). And if not, why not?*

Second, later in the movie they pixelated Bruno's genitals as he's walking around in his campsite naked. And that was in night vision, barely visible, from long range. Is this the edit that got Bruno out of its original NC-17 rating? Was it a time thing? ("20 seconds of a close-up swinging dick is OK, but 25 seconds of dick is too much.") Is the MPAA retarded?

Third, what is with all the full frontal lately? In a little over a year, I've now become visually acquainted with the junk of Cohen, Jason Segel, and Ken Jeong. Is this going to become a fixture of today's raunchy comedies, the way gratuitous boobs were in the 80s?

*All I'm saying is: Let's not have a double standard. Genitals are genitals. Where are we, Saudi Arabia? Let's see some talking clitorises (clitori?). In 3-D!

Beth Cooper: A Love/Hate Relationship

Premise: I Love You, Beth Cooper revolves around the nerdy and socially inept Denis Cooverman. A high school valedictorian who during his commencement speech declares his vast affection for head cheerleader Beth Cooper. She is the school princess that he has worshiped for years from afar. Denis also takes the opportunity to shoot down all of the fellow classmates that have made the last four years of his life a living hell. The story then turns into a first night of freedom adventure where Beth takes Denis on a John Hughes-esque odyssey involving reckless driving, underage drinking, bully beat downs, and even a girls locker room shower party.

Love: The Book. Written by former Simpsons writer and first time author Larry Doyle. The book I Love You, Beth Cooper was released in summer of 2007. I had never even heard or known it was a book until a few weeks before the release of the movie, which I originally had no interest in seeing. I saw numerous copies on display at the local Barnes & Noble, and recognized the title. On the back cover there were heaps of praise from great authors Tom Perrotta and Dave Barry, not to mention a stellar Entertainment Weekly review. I was intrigued enough to try it out.

The novel is a wonderful little read, and it moves like lightning. This book is full of wit, laughs, and painfully honest and accurate moments in the life of a teen. Denis is a smart and likable character. I found him very easy to admire, pity, and root for. Beth is a sassy wild-child that respects the sweet gesture, and is more than happy to return the favor.

Every chapter begins brilliantly as a portrait of Denis's face is shown that depicts the deteriorating physical and emotional state of our hero. At the bottom of every picture is a quote from a series of teen films over the past fifty years that help set up the events for the upcoming chapter.

The book gets pretty racy at times, and is very descriptive of how teenagers think and feel about the opposite sex. The language and content are hardly extreme, but would never fit into the confines of a non R Rated film. I was sure that much of the juicier content was going to be left on the cutting room floor.

I'm glad I gave this book a chance, and if it had existed while I was in high school then I'm sure I would have loved it even more. I find it vaguely humorous that a book created essentially from numerous situations in teen movies would be turned into a movie itself. It should have remained just a book.

Hate: The Movie. The film version of I Love You, Beth Cooper is a mostly bland experience that lacks heart, humor, and most importantly inspired performances. Hayden Panettiere had the potential to be a fine pick for Beth Cooper. She has got the appropriate look and age of the character, but I never believed her performance for a minute. She never shares an honest connection with the Denis character, and she constantly looks like she wants to be elsewhere. The sweetness of the character just never emerges. Denis (Paul Rust) somewhat overplays his hand, and makes the character too much of a nerd. He is a nice enough guy, but the sympathy wasn't there. The rest of the cast is just one big total cliche: His not-quite-out-of-the-closet and annoying best friend, her stupid and slutty girlfriends, and the jock jarhead boyfriend on a constant mission to murder Denis.

The film does manage to follow the book almost scene for scene as the group drifts in and out of parties, their high school, and hideouts in the woods. Everything feels rushed, and just seems to jump around a lot. I was surprised what did and didn't make it into the final cut of the film. Cocaine references, crotch shots, and cow tipping are all here. However, Beth touching a creepy store clerk's dick for beer is gone. The awkward dry hump session between Beth and Denis is missing. And the final climatic battle between Denis and Kevin (the jock) has vanished.

A few bright spots do manage to emerge. I really liked Alan Ruck and Cynthia Stevenson as Mr. and Mrs. Cooverman. They are funny, supportive, and are not afraid to act like frisky teens themselves. I also must note that the shameless School's Out by Alice Cooper sing-a-long worked rather well for me considering it was a ritual I took part in myself.

There is a scene in both the book and the film where after yet another un-goddess like act from Beth, Denis blurts out "She's not Beth Cooper" as he realizes that his dream girl was not the object of perfection he so desired. After reading the book, and then seeing the film I knew just how he felt. The Book: A- The Movie: C-

Counterpoint: Public Enemies

Allen's review is here. I wanted to like this movie, I really did. And the acting and technical film-making were decent. The biggest problem with the movie is that everything is flat and historical. There is no story. It's a breakout, then a robbery, then a chase, rinse, and repeat, until everyone is dead.

Sure, they try to shoehorn a romance in there, but it's really contrived (ask yourself why he's obsessed with her) and, honestly, their dialogue is so poetic and scripted it rings false. So what you're left with is standard cops and robbers where most of the characters are completely expendable. It's Bale's realistic and uninteresting Purvis versus Depp's overly stylistic and backgroundless Dillinger ("his daddy hit him, so he became the best bank robber ever" doesn't cut it).

Simply put, there needed to be less action and more reasons. I need to know why these characters do what they do, or I can't appreciate this piece as anything more than a history lesson. For that reason, Public Enemies is just not worth seeing -- unless you have to write a term paper on John Dillinger.

Bruno: Uber Uncomfortable

Bible thumpers beware! Bruno is sure to make your worst list, if you can stand to finish it. Better yet, I dare you to start it. Here is a film that most will consider shocking, outrageous, and offensive. Just don't act like you didn't see this coming. Sacha Baron Cohen has had plenty of practice at this game, and although I still consider him to be reckless and fearless, this one does not have the same surprise factor as his previous effort Borat. That being said, it helps that the joke is still pretty funny.

Bruno (Cohen) is an overly flamboyant homosexual fashion reporter who has just been blacklisted from every catwalk event in his homeland of Austria. He decides to come over to America in the hopes of achieving super stardom here in the states. While on his journey he runs across numerous celebrities and common folk to embarrass, and events to destroy with humiliating stunts, videos, and other sordid actions. There really isn't much of a plot here, just a thinly veiled attempt to string together numerous scenes.

The sexual context of this humor has been taken about as far as it was able to go. Nudity (some blacked out/some not) and gay humor dominate this movie. Many of the film's jokes work because they are so outlandish and extreme. Watching the amount of discomfort creeping up on some of these unsuspecting saps is just priceless. There are also numerous reactions shots in this film, and many of them are funnier than the joke itself.

I must applaud Cohen for his ability to take a joke all the way. This guy is not afraid to piss off the wrong people, and he is richly rewarded with plenty of juicy material. Much like Trey Parker and Matt Stone Creators of South Park, Cohen is an equal opportunity offender. Black, white, gay, straight, politicians, prostitutes, and priests are targets one and all.

When compared to Borat there are far fewer scenes that depict how ignorant and scary humans can be sometimes. The major shock scene of this nature in Bruno that comes to mind involved the lengths that some parents will go to make their infant child a star. If their answers are authentic, then it is very disturbing. These people would literally sacrifice their firstborn for a taste of fame.

Did I enjoy this movie? It has been done before and better on The Ali G Show. I would love to see it again with a crowd. Having now seen the movie, I would be more focused and entertained on the reaction of the patrons than on the film itself. With a brisk running time of only 82 minutes I feel Bruno is a summer movie that most definitely is not a nish-nish. B

Assorted Links

- The internets released the trailer for Diablo Cody's new horror vehicle for Megan Fox, Jennifer's Body. At least Amanda Seyfried's in it.

- Graphic novelist Brian K. Vaughan leaves Lost. So does that mean there's an opening for a staff writer?

- Kathryn Bigelow's Hurt Locker is getting serious buzz. Watch the first 8 minutes.

- What movies do stuntmen think have the greatest stunts?

Knowing (DVD): When Your Number's Up

Note: As hard as I tried I realized there was no way to write this review, and explain why I was floored by this film without revealing MAJOR SPOILERS. I strongly recommend you don't read this review until after you have seen the movie yourself.

Knowing is one of the most scatter shot films that I've come across in some time. I'm not just referring to the movie itself, I'll get to that in a minute. I would like to first talk about the critical and audience response the film was met with upon it's theatrical release. When trailers began popping up, I was intrigued at the set up, but ultimately tuned out. The cons outweighed the pros. It was done by Summit Entertainment (recently known for crap: Twilight ), It starred Nicholas Cage (recently known for crap: Bangkok Dangerous), was directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City = Amazing / I, Robot = Crap), and had a cop out rating (PG-13 = Crap).

Then came the reviews, just about all were terrible except from Roger Ebert who awarded the film his highest rating. The film opened the same weekend against the bro-mantic comedy I Love You, Man and the star-studded Duplicity, so I figured it would get crushed. Wrong again, people came out in droves making it #1 at the box office. At Mike Bristow's attempt to prove me incorrect, I went into this one not knowing what to expect. Its reputation was already all over the place in both good and bad ways.

The film itself is about many different things as well. In 1959, a time capsule buried in a school contains a series of seemingly random numbers. Fifty years later the capsule is opened and the list of numbers come into the possession of John Kosetler (Nic Cage), who by pure coincidence discovers that the list actually contains the date, location, and number of deaths involved in every major catastrophe in the last fifty years. And there are still three more events on the the list that have not occurred...yet.

John spends the rest of the film on numerous quests. The first is to discover who wrote the list, and this is how he meets Diana (Rose Byrne). At first, she is about as clueless as John is to the situation, but as the film progresses she begins to realize maybe her mother was not so crazy after all. Then there are the quests of finding the remaining disaster areas. They involve a plane crash and a subway derailment. I gotta tell you I've seen disaster moments in film before, but nothing like this. The crashes are unflinching and totally realistic. People are engulfed in flames or mowed over by steel cars right before your eyes. It's fantastic and horrifying stuff.

John is a man of science that was raised by a man of God. This makes him a little skeptical to the whole fate and life after death thing ( a wife taken prematurely in a fire doesn't help either). There are numerous and interesting discussions about faith and fact. Does everything happen for a reason or does "Shit just happen?"

This all leads up to the big picture: The Apocalypse. Now, when the threat of the end of the world came up in this movie my heart sank because I assumed it would be just that: a threat. I was really intrigued and riveted by the first two thirds of this one, and now I was sure the movie was going to end on a 'let's save the day' note. But here is the kicker: "How do you stop the end of the world?" The film's answer: You don't. I couldn't believe it. It has finally happened: An end of the world movie that actually concludes with the end of the world! I was overjoyed. After all the comets, aliens, and mother nature threats, here is a film that cuts the shit and ends the right way.

I guarantee this film will not cater to all tastes, but I loved it. It is very smart, bleak, and strong stuff. If you ever wished films like The Day the Earth Stood Still were not so bland and would be great if only they had some balls, then Knowing is the film you need to see. A

P.S. Mr. Bristow, you were with this one from the beginning and I was in serious doubt. Thank you for making me see the error in my judgment. Chalk a point up for you, sir.

Hung: Well-Endowed

In HBO's new dramedy Hung, Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) is a down on his luck high school basketball coach who has lost it all. His gold digging wife (Anne Heche), his goth kids, and even his parent's house (after a fire, home becomes a tent in the front lawn). With money and options running out, ray finds himself at a get rich quick convention. There he learns that the key to making money lies in focusing on your one big talent. Ray is convinced his 'big' talent is between his legs, and opts to become a man-whore.

Ray's first night out on the job is a disaster of Midnight Cowboy proportions. He gets rejected, and fifty bucks is slipped under the door "for his trouble." Ray realizes he is going to need some help. This is where Tanya Skagle (Jane Adams) comes in. Tanya is a poet that worked briefly with Ray's English class, and becomes a fellow member of the 'market yourself' seminar. After a disastrous double fling the two decide to become business partners (i.e. she becomes his pimp).

Now that set up may seem sketchy and simple, turning the show into a one note joke. The pilot is really well made, and resists the urge to jump right into the swing of things with a realization that there will be plenty of time to get into embarrassing sexual pratfalls (hopefully in upcoming episodes). Instead, we get the story of Ray's fading golden years, all of his losses, and we feel his desperation set in. This is not a bad guy, and Jane does an effective job of rendering sympathy.

The pilot is very well done, and I'm interested to see where this show will lead. This kind of feels like HBO's answer to Showtime's slightly superior Californication. Another show about the dangerous link of desperation and fornication. Director Alexander Payne brings to the premiere that same odd yet wonderful feel he has on all of his projects: Election, About Schmidt, and Sideways. It may be to soon to tell, but if this show holds the same amount of interest it had during it's set up, then this series is likely to become hun....er healthy as a horse. A-

Assorted Links

- Cloverfield director to remake the excellent Swedish child-vampire drama, Let the Right One In.

- Julie Taymor inflicts more pain with a Spider-Man musical. Who is the audience for this?

- The Maxx, Sam Kieth's great 90's animated series, is now streaming online.

- Have you heard this wild rumor that Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight was actually an attempt by him to get fired?!

The Proposal: I Propose That We Only See It Once

Not much to say about this one: Classic fish out of water story mixed with Green Card, with a dash of My Best Friend's Wedding and a sprinkle of Meet the Parents. The leads are good but the story is hackneyed. Date movie of last resort.

Extra note: There's a scene about halfway through the movie where Bullock and Reynolds are having an argument on a motorboat, and he has to swerve out of the way of a buoy, and she falls in the water -- but she can't swim! He continues to yell at her as if she's there, and then realizes she's not in the boat and turns around to get her. She's fine.

At the time, I turned to Bree and said: "wouldn't it be great if she drowned and he had to cover it up? It would be half ridiculous romantic comedy and half serious thriller. It would be the most genius thing to happen in film in decades." Sure, it probably wouldn't sell well -- at least, once the secret got out -- but it would be a hell of a genre-switcheroo.