The exact opposite of Killer Joe (a daring surface movie with a somewhat cheap center), Hope Springs is a comfortable, feel-good movie that actually contains a quiet, deep knowledge of relationships. There is more truth and perceptiveness in this film than in the last twenty big studio romances I’ve seen. Much like Ruby Sparks, it starts…
Category: Mindless Mondays
Movie Review: My First NC-17 Rated Movie Theater Experience with “Killer Joe”
I have never actually seen an NC-17 rated movie during its theatrical run until this film. Now I can say I’ve lived. It was drastically different than most films shown at big screen multiplexes. First I had to show ID when I bought a ticket, even though only the most obtuse theater cashier would think…
Monday Morning Movie Reviewer: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer
“Red Hook Summer” is the new film from Spike Lee and one that quite a lot of people might be looking forward to since it returns the filmmaker to his Brooklyn roots and even has a cameo by Spike himself, playing his old Do the Right Thing character and still delivering pizzas. Those that might…
Movie Review: Ruby Sparks
Ruby Sparks is the indie romance of the summer that stars Paul Dano—–an actor you either don’t like or have never heard of—–as a writer and Zoe Kazan as the title-character, a woman he literally creates. The central plot involves Dano’s writer trying to cure his block with a writing exercise describing the girl he…
Movie Review: The Watch
This movie opened a mere three weeks ago, but has more or less vanished since. I’ll keep the review short, and put about as much time into it as all involved put into making this movie. What Works: To say this movie has no laughs would be wrong. It has four…spaced out over nearly 100…
Monday Morning Movie Review: “The Campaign” A Sharper-Than-You-Think-Satire
I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it for just about anyone, which is the film’s double-sided magic. People that already know about politics will laugh at the broad satirical parodies and enjoy the on-target belly laughs at our super-PAC age. People that don’t already know about politics will laugh at the dick jokes but be…
Two Train Robberies on AMC’s “Hell on Wheels” Premiere and Breaking Bad’s Latest Terrific Episode
In what must have seemed like a strange coincidence (or maybe it was deliberate), both of AMC’s dramas revolved heavily around train robberies last night. This type of heist hasn’t been popular since the days of Jesse James, so it was more than a little unique (and refreshing) that it was last night. First, the…
A Review of ALL the Bourne Films, and Noticing Exactly How Similar They Are
The moment is here to chat up the “new” Bourne film (which has more than a little bit in common with the old Bourne films) The Bourne Legacy. But in trying to be as thorough as possible in comparing them I re-watched the first Bourne trilogy starring Matt Damon—–not terribly difficult considering TNT or USA…
Mom Jokes: The Radio
Thank you for the radio…… Just when you have lost faith in human kindness, someone who teaches at Pine Street Elementary in Spartanburg , SC forwarded the following letter. The letter was sent to the Principal’s office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. An old lady received a new radio at…
Why (Alabama-Native) Channing Tatum Is a Mega-Star, Even If No One Will Admit It
This article will deal with the simple reality of why Channing Tatum is the biggest “star” of the year, and the more complex reasons of why he doesn’t get the respect he should. Let me just hit people with the simple facts first. He is now the only American movie star to have three movies (The Vow,…
TV Reviews: Summer Round-Up with Dallas, Longmire, Falling Skies, Alphas, and Small Town Security
As we enter into the new Fall television season in the next few weeks (NBC will be rolling their lineup out sooner than the others to capitalize on the Olympic’s coverage) it’s time to say goodbye (and judge) all the shows I’ve been using as filler for the last couple months. Dallas…Against all possible odds,…
Monday Morning Movie Review: Total Recall
Another completely useless, uninspired remake that pales in comparison to the original. In other words: it’s Monday. What Works: It’s always a pleasure to see Bryan Cranston (giving the best performance on television as Walter White in AMC’s Breaking Bad) getting work but he could still do better than being the generic villain in this….
Mom Jokes: The Confessional
A guy goes inside the confessional and says: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” “What did you do, my son?” “Yesterday I was walking along the beach at night, and I decided to explore a cave near the shore. When I turned on my flashlight, I saw two men having sex.” “Oh, so you…