A movie I wanted to like more than I did, but still a really noble effort in a time when anything marketed “War Comedy” is likely to be an instant skip-it from a major studio. While other reviewers have chosen to pull out a magnifying glass and scrutinize the film’s every politically incorrect sin, I…
Movie Review: Triple 9
It comes pretty close to being a halfway watchable heist noir, but something just never quite comes together. It has all the lyrics right, but you can’t feel the music. Prime example: the movie has a great cast, but never really does anything with them. What Works: Any movie that stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Anthony…
We’ll Know Who the Nominees are After March 15th
In the last A Year Long Conversation podcast, “Episode 12: Why March 15th is the Most Important Day of the Election” we both let it be known that March 15th is the most important day of the election. Now I’d like to go a step beyond that and say definitively that we’ll know who the…
Episode 12-Why March 15th is the Most Important Day of the Campaign
Beware the Ides of March: We explain why March 15th is the most important day of the entire campaign, and breaking down why we’ll pretty much know who the nominees are going to be after this day. Also, we get to burning questions like: Is the Republican establishment trying to look stupid? Have they lost the ancient,…
Movie Review: Deadpool
Not as good a movie as the great reviews or ecstatic box office would suggest, but still a pretty decent time for the 50 or so people who haven’t seen it yet. What Works: It has the best beginning for a movie (so far) this year, as we’re treated to a slow motion fallout from a…
Movie Review: Zoolander 2
Who cares about this movie? I get that Ben Stiller was forced to come up with something now that his franchises are stalling out—Meet the Parents ended, Night at the Museum ended, Madagascar can’t go on forever—but “Zoolander 2” won’t be it. The only thing more predictable than the movie itself is that it was…
Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda 3
I actually love this franchise, and it’s one of the few film series that I don’t mind sitting through unnecessary sequels for. I knew it wasn’t a great sign that the studio decided to put this in January, a traditional dumping ground for movies that aren’t worth watching in more competitive times, but it’s still a lot better than…
Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 “Sword of Destiny”
I was surprised at how terrible this movie is. Since the first “Crouching Tiger” movie came out more than 15 years ago, you would probably think a “sequel” would either have to be 1. So good that it justified a sequel OR 2. An obvious cash-register raider just trying to milk a dead franchise. Well,…
Movie Review: Monster Hunt
Having a “China” day with new reviews of this Chinese oddity, plus the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, and Kung Fu Panda 3. I’ll also try to throw up some other reviews during the week since the entertainment section has been a little neglected lately… What Works: This was a massive hit in China, which maybe…
What’s Behind Trump’s “Midwestern Problem?”
Donald Trump has a uniquely Midwestern problem. If you closely look at the only states he hasn’t won, four out of five of them are Midwestern states. And I strongly suspect Ted Cruz won Alaska by tricking its residents into voting for a “Free Cruz” out of the state. So if you write-off Alaska as an outpost…
Who “Won” the Latest Republican Debate? Winning is Such a Relative Term…
Grading the candidates in the latest monster-truck-derby/bar-fight/”Debate” (quotes necessary for legal reasons) so you don’t have to…[watch it that is]. Ted Cruz…You would think Cruz would be riding high after “wins” on Super-Tuesday like his home state and the state that bordered his home state, but the bottom-line is that Cruz can not seem to…
GOP Supporting Ted Cruz? Really? Are They Trying to Lose to Trump?
Of all the strange stories that came out of Super-Tuesday, one of the weirdest may be that the GOP seems to be planning to dump Rubio at the exact moment he could actually win some states. I keep seeing different variations of people “questioning” Rubio’s chances. [Uhhhh, you think?] And speculating that maybe they should…
Time to Celebrate the Ending of Super-Tuesday and My (Mostly) Right Picks
Pop the champagne, pour the tequila, uncork the wine, and celebrate folks! Super Tuesday is over, and now the endless obsessing about it can die down, and a few of the weaker candidates can slowly drift off to die peacefully, not unlike the weakest of the buffalo herd. Although it perhaps says something about the…