Entries Categorized as 'Adam'
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Morgan Spurlock had something going with his Oscar nominated doc, Super-Size Me. It was informative, shocking, funny, and entertaining. Usually documentaries can only informational, but Spurlock has that humorous touch that other documentarians lack. Unfortunately in his latest effort, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, the slapstick and humor take over the film.
Based the flimsy premise that as a soon-to-be dad Spurlock must find Bin Laden to help raise his kid in a safer world, he embarks on a global journey to track Osama. Most of the time, though, he just accomplishes looking funny and going for a cheap laugh in, what one would expect to be, a serious issue; finding the most feared terrorist in the world.
Don’t get me wrong, some of his schtick is entertaining and Spurlock is a talented documentary filmmaker but this issue was handled incorrectly.
Furthermore, the film lacks any real sense of closure. His journey comes to an abrupt, and unsatisfying, end that leaves the viewer short changed. His premise alone (hunting Bin Laden) sets this doc up for failure from the beginning because, barring an incredible stroke of luck, Mr. Spurlock would never be able to film the perfect ending where he actually sees/captures/talks to Osama Bin Laden.
Too much slapstick not enough anything else.
Posted in Adam, Movies, Reviews by Adam 
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Tags: Jeremy Chilnick, Morgan Spurlock, where in the world is osama bin laden
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Done in varying anime styles, Gotham Knight is comprised of 6 interlocking stories that cover the time between Batman Begins and this month’s The Dark Knight. Written by 6 different sets of writers (including Beginswriter David S. Goyer), the overall arc of the story deals with Batman as he faces Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and the deadly sniper, Deadshot.
While I have never been a fan of anime, the art for most of the segments did not bother me. In fact there were a few times, specifically during the Deadshot sequence, where I found myself really enjoying the visuals as well as the story. Nevertheless, it is not the drawing that hinders this collection of short stories, it is the stories themselves. The dialogue for most of the sequences are adequate but when you give each segment only 11 mins or so to develop it leaves the plot a little half-baked. While most viewers will not require an exposition to give them the back story of Batman/Bruce Wayne, the audience is forced to care about secondary characters that only fans of the comic will be familiar with.
While I enjoyed Batman - Gotham Knight, it is only because I am a confirmed Bat-Freak. I have my IMAX tickets reserved for The Dark Knight and will eat up any Batman related media that is released. Nonetheless the snob in me knows that without my bat-colored blinders on, Gotham Knight was nothing spectacular.
Batfans: watch, Anime fans: maybe, Casual fans: prolly not
please wait...
Rating: 1.0/5 (1 vote cast)
Posted in Adam, DVD by Adam No Comments »
Tags: anime, batman, Batman Begins, cartoon, Gotham Knight, short stories, The Dark Knight
Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Coming out later this summer, the film August stars Josh Harnett and Adam Hall. Harnett and Hall are brothers who run the last Web 2.0 company that survived the “.com” fad of the early 2000’s. When the stock plummets, their company, Landshark, looks to sink just like the rest of the e-wannabes. Harnett’s character, Tom, has one month to save his company.
The idea of the film, the acting, and the look are all decent but the writing is shaky at best. I suppose the audience is supposed to think that Harnett’s character is supposed to be edgy and cool…but he just ends up looking like a complete asshole. Even when Tom has seemingly learned his lesson and redeemed himself, he still comes across as a douche.
The arc, or lack thereof, of the main character is just one problem that comes apparent during the film. The lack of depth of any character creates little to no connection between the story and the audience. I am usually happy or sad while watching a film, but this one left me apathetic. I did not care what happened to any of the characters because the film did nothing to make me care.
So, in short…nice try but ends up a waste of time…but not emotion.
Posted in Adam, Movies, Reviews by Adam No Comments »
Tags: Adam Scott, august, Austin Chick, David Bowie, Howard A. Rodman, Josh Hartnett, Naomie Harris, Rip Torn, Robin Taylor
Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Released a few months back, the DVD set for WKUK Season 1 is chalk full of hilarity. I personally had never heard of this NY comedy troupe until they began their second season on the IFC channel. Nonetheless, these live comedy veterans began their show on Fuse a couple years ago, and those shows are what is included in the season 1 package.
There are 10 skit filled shows that are jammed packed with the Whitest Kids’ brand of edgy and irreverent humor…and it is all great. Troupe leader Trevor Moore does most of the writing and his talent really shines in the biting satire in some of the episodes. My favorite member, Zach Kregger, also writes and his characters always seem to be funniest in each skit he is in.
The dvd extras are slim, but still just as funny as the show itself. There is a very, very, very short behind the scenes thingy and then they have a few “previews” of season 2 skits. But it is the commentaries that makes this worth the buy/download. All the troupe members plus a lone producer give full commentary on each ep, and it is here that some of the funniest lines on the discs are heard. If you are a fan of skit based comedy, this is worth it.
Posted in Adam, DVD by Adam No Comments »
Tags: DVD, funny, skits, trevor moore, whitest kids
Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Let me just start out saying that I am a large Damian Lewis fan. He totally owned in Band of Brothers, and I really liked his NBC drama before it got canned last year. Unfortunately I was quite disappointed with his latest effort, The Baker.
Lewis stars as Milo, a hit man with a conscience problem. Instead of rubbing out his targets he is found to be just letting them run away, and this apparently is frowned upon in the contract killing business. Now Milo is the target and he must flee to the Welsh countryside. Upon entering a small village he is mistaken for the new Baker due to arrive, and Milo starts his new life as humor ensues.
There are two problems with this “dark comedy”: 1. It is not that dark. 2. It is not that funny.
The plot feels recycled and overused and the comedy is not handled well. Lewis does a fine job with what he is given, but I wanted much more. This film was written and directed by Damian’s brother Gareth, and it shows. Just rent Grosse Pointe Blank instead.
Posted in Adam, Movies, Reviews by Adam No Comments »
Tags: Damian Lewis, Gareth Lewis
Saturday, April 19th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Laura Linney and Phil Hoffman star in The Savages, a tale of a brother and sister dealing with the prospect of putting their father in a nursing home.
In the film, Linney plays the sister who is an emotional wreck. She lives alone in New York and feels abandoned by life. Her brother, a college professor from Buffalo is emotionally silent but still has many of the same issues on the inside. When both learn of the decline in health of their father they must deal with his situation, and their own emotional problems.
The story is an original tale that deals with a problem many people face today. The film adds the twist that this man, who is their father, actually abandoned his children early on in life, but yet they are there for him at his end. It has a few comic and touching moments, and Laura Linney outshines everyone else in her role. I feel it is quite a feat for her considering the talent she is surrounded by in the film.
While the movie never sticks with drama or comedy or any other particular genre throughout the film, it is definitely believable due to the great writing and even better acting..give it a download.
Posted in Adam, Movies, Reviews by Adam No Comments »
Tags: download, dvdrip, Laura Linney, Peter Friedman, Philip Bosco, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tamara Jenkins, the savages
Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta Jones star in this Houdini tale that looks decent but falls flat.
Pearce plays magician Harry Houdini. Reeling from the death of his mother, he challenges any clairvoyant to make contact with her. Zeta-Jones plays an Irish con artist with a lovable daughter/sidekick. Looking to collect fame and fortune from the challenge, Jones’ character pulls off a con to convince Houdini that his mother can speak from the grave. What both find, though, is a love affair that nether expected.
As a history buff, this movie makes me want to cry. With mish-mashed timelines and historical inaccuracies abound, I spent most of the movie spotting anachronistic details. The story runs from drama to playful humor and seems to never settle in either genre. While director Gillian Armstrong does a great job with the direction, the overall film is a little disappointing.
Looking to waste a couple hours? download. History buffs and film fans…stay away.
Posted in Adam, Movies, Reviews by Adam No Comments »
Tags: Brian Ward, Catherine Zeta-Jones, death defying acts, drama, Gillian Armstrong, Guy Pearce, Romance, Saoirse Ronan, Thriller, Timothy Spall, Tony Grisoni
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