1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(09/07/06 2:55am)
If you ask your grandparents (and some of your parents) what it meant to "go to the movies," their answer may be significantly different than yours.\nFifty years ago, few were the posh theaters with 20 screens, stadium seating, air conditioning and a smorgasbord of overpriced candy. And reserving tickets ahead of time online was not even a fathomable luxury.\nBack in the good ol' days, "catching a movie" suggested one thing; a nearly obsolete practice that's usually seen only in movies themselves: pulling up in your car to a drive-in theater.\nThe beloved drive-in made its debut on June 6, 1933, when it was invented by Richard M. Hollingshead during an experiment he held in the backyard of his New Jersey home. Hollingshead nailed a white sheet to a tree trunk, affixed a projector to the hood of his car and placed a radio behind the sheet for sound. He got in his car, rolled down the windows, and the rest is history.\nHe even tested under several different "weather conditions." He put his lawn sprinkler on high to emulate a rain storm. \nHollingshead's visions soon took him to the patent office, allowing him to open the country's first drive-in theater in Camden, New Jersey later that year.\nBy 1946, there were roughly around 200 drive-ins opened in the United States—a number that would quadruple in just two years.\n"With the concept of the drive-in theater being strange to most people, new drive-ins would host an 'open house' during the day to let people know what to expect," says driveintheater.com, one of the web's largest drive-in theater information databases. "They would show the future customers how to park, how the sound systems worked, and what food was available in the concession stands. Some drive-ins reported as many as 400 cars would show up for the open house."\nBy the end of World War II, drive-ins spanned nearly 30 states, each replete with plenty of parking space, a bustling concessions building and soon enough, playgrounds for patrons' kids to utilize during the movie.\nBy 1960, the number of drive-ins skyrocketed to a massive 5000. Not only that, but drive-ins single-handedly put many indoor theaters out of business—indoor cinemas reduced from 17,000 to 12,000 during the same years drive-ins saw such proliferation. \nDrive-ins also grew in physical size. Detroit and Lufkin, Texas enjoyed the largest theaters in the country, each with enough parking space to hold up to 3000 cars.\nAdditionally, more side features were added. Pony rides, miniature golf, petting zoos and talent shows became commonplace at drive-ins during the '50s.\nOne thing drive-ins didn't need more of, though, is patronage. They were more than comfortable with customers showing interest.\n"Many theaters would open three hours before the movie would start," says driveintheater.com.\nThe food served also became more serious. Gone were the days of simple chocolate bars and popcorn.\n"Theaters began to serve a wide variety of dinners, such as fried chicken, barbecued sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizza," says driveintheater.com. "A few theater owners even gave their customers the ability to order from their cars and have a car hop deliver. To increase sales, the intermission trailers were invented. Theaters using these gained increased sales between films."\nAnd so the trend of familiar images of dancing candy and soda singing, "Visit our concessions stand!" was born.\nUnfortunately, the buzz around drive-in theaters gradually started to decline as America entered the '60s and '70s. \nMany managers started to remove the playgrounds from their theaters. Screens started to suffer from wear and tear, while weeds and other signs of neglect claimed most of the parking space.\nTheaters slowly started closing down, and by 1990, the number of drive-ins in the country nose-dived to a miserable 900. People just lost interest.\n"Personally, I think going to a drive-in would be a lot of fun," says IU sophomore Rachel Skiles. "It's something different, and it would just be something really cool to do with a group of your friends."\nLuckily enough for IU students, faculty and Bloomington residents, there's a drive-in theater in close vicinity—making a nostalgic movie experience only a short drive away.\nThe Starlite Drive-In is located in Harrodsburg, about five miles south of Bloomington. They're open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and usually show two feature films. This past Labor Day weekend, they showed the new animated film "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." \n"I'd also like to go to a drive-in because they tend to be a lot cheaper than regular movie theaters," Skiles says.\nIndeed, admission to the Starlite is only six bucks, three bucks for patrons aged six to twelve and free admission for those under six years old. \nAnd as of 2005, drive-ins have already made a comeback in several states, including Texas.\n"Texas as it sees the biggest surge of drive-ins in decades," said Paul Weber of the Associated Press in an article that ran in the Victoria Advocate in Victoria, Texas. "At least five outdoor theaters have opened since 2003. \nAnd business has been so good at the three-screen Galaxy Drive-In that co-owner Marsha Murray points to a flat tract where the gravel and sod have already been groomed for a fourth screen. She hints that Galaxy may ultimately house as many as 12 screens."\nAs one can see, the allure of drive-ins has captured a new generation. While it may be an anachronism for many, you shouldn't knock it 'til you try it.\nJust remember to take the speaker out of your car at the end of the movie.
(09/07/06 2:45am)
For the first time in a couple of years, my DVR is being used to its fullest capacity. In the past five years the networks faltered and primetime programming fell into a deep reality TV abyss, one I thought we would never navigate our way out of. \nDon't get me wrong, for the first couple of years it was mildly entertaining to see how far people would go to win an exorbitant amount of money. \nIt had gotten to the point where if I turned on ABC and saw "I want to marry a chimpanzee," it really wouldn't have surprised me. Its kind of like that Geico commercial about "Tiny House." I remember seeing that commercial and thinking to myself, "Really? Another one of these?" \nNeedless to say, I'm so thankful for a fall schedule that reminds us why comedies and dramas were so popular. Not since the early days of "ER," "Friends," and "Seinfeld" have there been a handful of worthwhile shows to tune into each night. Now, I find myself DVR'ing tons of TV shows and planning nights to go watch "Prison Break," and "Weeds" because I simply can't miss them.\nFinally TV shows are compelling again. The writers and producers of these shows have gone back to the basics: shock and awe. \nThis summer I watched the entire 22-episode season of "Prison Break" in three days (my employer I'm sure noticed the yawns each morning, which marked a late night catching up on Scofield and Lincoln's latest drama inside Fox River. I just couldn't get enough. I needed to know what would happen next, so I cued up another episode.\nDon't even get me started on Weeds, a show I think tops the charts for being a crowd favorite and pushing the limits with twisted plots and risque writing. Never have characters been so compelling. After almost every episode I turn to the person next to me, who's jaw has usually dropped along with mine, as if to say "Did that really just happen?" \nWith new promising shows popping up across networks and cable stations and favorites like "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," and "The Office" returning for another go-around, I think its safe to say TV has returned to its rightful spot atop the entertainment mountain.\nSo, let me be the one to thank the major networks, HBO, Bravo and Showtime for collectively reminding us that primetime can be entertaining. Because as entertaining as it is to see people swap families, marry total strangers, lie on TV, eat animal genitalia, race each other to the ends of the earth and survive on a "real" remote island, I'll take true comedic talent and good acting any day.
(09/07/06 2:44am)
What if I were to tell you that Entourage became formulaic and stale in its third season with lame characters like Dom, and Weeds is getting more chronic every episode. Is that something you might be interested in? \nThe pace of Weeds flies by even though they start each episode the second the last episode ends. While Entourage meanders through finding Vince a new project week after week, Weeds' plot lines weave in and out. \nHaving Nancy (a drug dealer), go from never wanting to see a past flame (a DEA agent) again to marrying him in the third episode is a perfect example. Entourage would have drawn it out over a season and a half. It's getting to the point where I look forward to Lucky Louis on Sunday night more than Entourage, which used to be my favorite show. From the great opening song all the way through, Weeds is single-handedly making Showtime worth having. With a new guest star like Elvis Costello singing the "tickie tackie" theme song and an amazing cast, Weeds is smokin'. (Though I do miss the old theme song.) \nWeeds simply makes the audience care about the characters more than Entourage does. When Silas poked a hole in a condom before sleeping with his girlfriend everyone in the room with me gasped. You would have thought Maury had just told my roommate, "Benny -- in the case of little Jamal -- you are NOT the father," the way he was yelling and wildly throwing his arms around. \nThe only time I really cared about the characters in Entourage this season was when Turtle lost Saigon as a rapper. While both are advertised as comedies and Entourage has "Drama," Weeds would be a fascinating show strictly as a drama. \nI wanted Queens Boulevard to kick ass and have Vince be the next Scarface in "Medellin." I understand it's important to have ups and downs, but I never feel like the problems are real. Vince will always be working tight jobs and Ari will always be their agent. The only real problem they had is the fight in Vegas and they glossed over that the next episode like it never happened. Drama should have been too bruised up to shoot his pilot, Vince should have had to own up to his image going down and Eric should have gotten some shit for so poorly managing Vince. \nSpeaking of Eric, what happened to Sloan and why did the writers give up on developing Eric as a character all season? They gave us the ultimate man fantasy, the threesome, and managed to blow that for us. We got no hot scenes and it was so disappointing that I had a dream that night that a hottie wanted a threesome with me and my girlfriend and I turned it down. They ruined the dream.\nBoth shows had recent plots about masturbating, but while Johnny Drama's jerk-off in his trailer was funny, I was kind of blue-balled. Weeds had Andy's immaculate speech to Nancy's son to encourage him to stop masturbating in socks and flush them down the toilet. \nExplaining to his nephew Shane (hard to believe he was the voice of "Nemo") how to get the "Pearl Jam" out of his "Randy Johnson" with the help of a banana peel had me playing that clip all week on On Demand. \nEven without that speech, Andy is the most underrated character on T.V. Seriously, who even knows his name or anything he's been in before Weeds? His recent stint in rabbinical school, where he's basically just there to nail a hot rabbi, has been hilarious. \nEntourage is still a must see half hour, but it's become a caricature of itself. Ari especially. While he has always been larger than life, his "hug it out bitch" and Lloyd gay-bashing has gotten old. \nIt's essential to have cliffhangers, but who honestly believes Ari is done as Vince's agent? He just won the Emmy and is arguably the most popular character. You have to give us a reason to worry he wont be back. It's fun and a solid half hour, but it just doesn't have the pop it once had. \nThe whole Dom character arc was a waste of time and added nothing to the show. Seeing his ass every episode didn't help either. I did love Martin Landau as the senile producer, but still they need to get better guest stars than Seth Green, James Woods, and DJ AM. \nNext year IMDB reported that the hottest name is the biz is slatted for three episodes. That's right: Britney's boy toy K-Fed is taking his immaculate career to the next level. I guess William Hung was busy. \nIt's time for Entourage to regroup, hug it out, and get back to what made them so hot in the first place.
(09/07/06 2:40am)
"We're not millionaires or barons. Our only treasure is our good name", says patriarch Don Vincenso (Saro Urzi) in "Seduced and Abandoned". It's a philosophy most people live by, but to him, it's more of a duty. As a result, he and his family are thrown into a series of emotionally distressing yet comedic events, sparked by the affair between his daughter Matilde's fiancé, Peppino (Aldo Puglisi) and his other daughter, Agnese (Stefania Sandrelli). Pietro Germi, who also wrote and directed "Divorce-Italian Style", offers another clever and amusing satire which provides a glimpse into the idiosyncrasies of Italian family values and traditions during the 1960's in small-town Sicily. \nIn addition, the film also makes light of the hypocrisies of the legal system and the scrutinizing townspeople which surround them. Like the typical Italian father, Don Vincenso is tense, cautious and extremely protective when it comes to his daughters. His daughter Matilde is set to marry Peppino, a young man from the village who is in college studying medicine and hoping to get a job in Rome. However, Peppino can't resist pursuing another of Don Vincenso's daughters, Agnese. She's seduced by Peppino while the rest of the family is sleeping on a hot summer's day, and gives in to Peppino's advancements without much hesitation. \nAfter the piece of a torn letter is discovered by Agnese's mother, which serves as a clue, the family's patience and tenacity are tested as they attempt to fix the shameful situation through attempted murder, forced marriages, blackmail, and kidnapping -- all in the name of family honor, of course. Several instances of misery and failure occur, and it's pretty easy to see how delusional these families are as they walk around town with their lawyers by their sides and their heads held high. \nPietro Germi's characters and the scenarios they put themselves in are delightfully silly and ironic. And although misdirected, one can't help but sympathize and admire patriarch Don Vincenso's nerve and determination. He keeps the humorous misadventures going in this tale of a family that's so concerned with reputation they don't realize their sacrifices are all detrimental, vain, and superficial. \nThis new Criterion Collection release features a newly restored hi-definiton digital transfer of the film, interviews with screenwriters Furon Scarpelli and Luciano Vincenzoni, Italian film scholar Mario Sesti and actors Stefania Sandrelli and Lando Buzzanca. It also includes Stefania Sandrelli's screen test, a theatrical trailer, a new and improved English subtitle translation, and an essay by film scholar Irene Bignardi.
(09/07/06 2:21am)
The funniest and most bizarre show on television got even funnier and more bizarre in its third and final season, going out with a bang and not a whimper. Enough fuss has been made about Fox's decision to cancel Arrested Development midstream, but what more can be expected from the same roundtable that keeps the Fox News Channel going 24/7? The best that can be done is to celebrate the show for what it was, which was much, much more than any comedy currently on air.\nAside from a steady staff of amazing writers, the heart of the show (as with all the greats) is its cast of memorable, if not always likeable, characters. Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter play the patriarch and matriarch of the Bluth family with witty abandon, while the deadpan Will Arnett and gleefully pathetic Tony Hale bake sons Gob and Buster to golden-brown perfection. Portia de Rossi and David Cross always impress as Lindsay and Dr. Tobias Funke, and Jason Bateman deserves special note as Michael, the family's constantly bedraggled moral center.\nEpisode after episode, the writers and cast of Arrested Development continued to outdo themselves with labyrinthine plots, rapid-fire dialogue exchanges, and some of the best physical comedy since the silent era. If Season One kept things on a relatively even keel, and Season Two jolted everything way off-kilter, then Season Three is a balls-out spectacle of ridiculousness, where necrophiliac nurses, killer hair plugs, and Scott Baio all coexist in the same twisted O.C. (but don't call it that).\nExtras gracing this two-disc set include a cache of often-amusing deleted and extended scenes, selected episode commentary tracks with creator Mitchell Hurwitz and the cast, and an appropriately bittersweet look at the last day of location photography for the series. Also featured is another in the series of hilarious Arrested Development blooper reels, which are wasted on most comedy series but sparkle with a hint of mad genius in the hands of a cast and writers this talented and tuned-in to one another.\n285 minutes is far less time than Arrested Development deserved to bring a sense of closure to its legion of diehard fans, but that's all Fox allowed it. Instead, we've been blessed with three more years of The Simpsons and another shitty season of Family Guy to choke down. Negativity and resentment will get us nowhere, however, and at least we have this final, brilliant season of the Bluth family's madcap, acid-tongued exploits to remember them by.
(09/07/06 2:17am)
If you loved early-noughties garage-dance-punk, then these are depressing times. The indie world has embraced proggier, twee-er, less-accessible sounds (Sufjan, Beirut, The Knife -- bleh). The mainstream is eagerly blending the style with emo so it can be marketed to 12-year-old mall crawlers (Hellooo, She Wants Revenge!). And the bands that made up the movement are either deceased (The Libertines, Death From Above 1979) or looking to "expand" beyond their original sound (Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Hot Hot Heat, The Strokes, The White Stripes/Raconteurs, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.). This last category has met with varying levels of success.\nThis, then, brings us to Razorlight. Never a pioneering band, Razorlight continues to follow their peers -- this time, into the wilderness of post-garage arena rock. Now, don't get me wrong -- Razorlight's first album, "Up All Night," may have indicated that the band owed a round of beers to The Strokes and The Libertines, but it was lots of fun. They brought a flair for the dramatic that their stripped-down predecessors lacked -- call it pomp-garage rock. And they smartly pushed their biggest asset to the front -- charismatic, egomaniacal frontman, Johnny Borrell -- and, through his lyrics, told engaging stories about hipster London. Stories about indie rock posers ("Rock N Roll Lies"), about leaving the scene ("Don't Go Back To Dalston"), about nights of dizzying decadence ("In The City") and more.\nIn its best moments, Razorlight's self-titled second album follows this same route. "In The Morning," a sunny, disco-inflected boogie, paints the picture of the morning after the parties of "Up All Night" -- combining the blissful ignorance of alcoholic blackouts with a vague, but nagging, sense of guilt. On "America," the band broods along with a sad-sack Englishman who dreams of escaping to an idyllic America, while being simultaneously disturbed by the harsh realities portrayed in U.S. news stories.\nBut, on much of "Razorlight," Johnny Borrell puts his heart on his sleeve and tries to bare his soul to you lucky listeners -- and the result is predictable. The lyrical edge dulls, the images become vague and clichés start slipping loose. Which wouldn't be so bad if the instrumental side were more interesting -- but, remember, the band is now "expanding" its sound. For the most part, this means borrowing from the new-wave influenced pop ballads of the early 80's -- say the Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime," Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me," "Unforgettable Fire" era U2 or anything from the closing credits of any given 80's cult classic. (And, inexplicably, on "Who Needs Love?" -- doo-wop.) Not a bad style to cop -- but, it's hardly as exciting as the late-70's punks and post-punks that Razorlight were emulating before. Sincerity has replaced swagger, texture replaced fire -- and the result is that Razorlight has leapt from garage-punk to adult alternative. It may only be two years since "Up All Night," but in the interim Razorlight done grown old.
(09/07/06 2:13am)
This is the kind of music even white guys can find the rhythm to.\n"Game Theory" is the name of the new album released by the most musically gifted group in hip-hop, The Roots. Combining the beat prowess of ?uestlove and the dominant flow of Black Thought, "Game Theory" is the greatest hip-hop record this year.\nThis is the type of music that makes Levis and Coca-Cola commercials. The kind that where the entire town storms Main Street and jumps on the giant celebration float while hundreds of other gorgeous citizens cheer on the product like it's the second coming of freedom.\nAfter some of the group's fans whispered the group had gone too alternative, The Roots have come out with their darkest, most intense hip-hop album to date. Featuring more jazz and rock than rap, The Roots truly showcase their appreciation for different genres of music on "Game Theory."\nBefore the release of "Game Theory," the band from Philly signed with a close friend's record company. That friend just so happens to be some small rapper from New York who goes under the moniker Jay-Z. Ring any bells? Hova and his label, Def Jam Records, signed The Roots last September, marking the band's acceptance into mainstream hip-hop.\nWhat makes this album stand out from other Roots releases is Black Thought's masterful rhymes. Every time he says a verse you subconsciously become one with the beat, bobbing up and down. You know when athletes are given credit for not taking any plays off and playing 110 percent? The same can be said about Black Thought's rhymes. \nThe Roots send a political message in their song "False Media." In Black Thought's verse, he raps about President Bush and the ongoing war. "Hey it's me a monster ya'll done created / I've been inaugurated," he says at one point. Later in the song he raps, "Aim, fire, holla about a dolla, nothing is scared/We goin' pimp the shit out of nature /Send our troops to get my paper/Tell 'em stay away from them skyscrapers." \nThe cool and mellow sound of "Clock With No Hands" demonstrates The Roots' ability to change gears and slow it down. If there were hip-hop piano lounges, this song would be the mold. Roots crew keyboard player Kamal plays a lullaby-melody in the background that soothes the listener. \nThe album's title track, "Game Theory" is the 8 Mile song of the record. The song, like the entire album, is an abstract musical masterpiece. The song sounds like the type of song that's played as boxers enter the arena as they walk into the arena. This song could put life into Ted Williams's abdomen. \nThe entire album is noteworthy and showcases why The Roots, always highly-regarded, deserve even more of the hip-hop world's attention
(09/07/06 2:11am)
Jessica Simpson confuses the hell out of me. At first she was presented as a goody good songstress, molded from a strong Christian-rooted family. She was no sexy Britney Spears. And she was certainly no Xtina.\nThen came her vastly popular show with Nick Lachey, "Newlyweds," on MTV, and yup, that squeaky clean image quickly disappeared.\nShe was a temptress, the "it" girl of the early oughts, and well, she was really freakin' hot.\nHer dad starting talking about her huge chest. You get the picture.\nBut through it all, her music has pretty much stayed the same - safe, radio-friendly pop songs.\nBut on her newest effort, A Public Affair, Simpson goes in a bit of a new direction with her sound, churning out more a dance record at points than straight up pop.\nIt doesn't work.\nThe disc's lead track and first single "A Public Affair," sounds like a '70s disco cut with some sprinklings of early Madonna.\nSimpson also tries her hand at a cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." And if Pete Burns hasn't already laid a bitch slap on her by now for ruining his classic cut, it's probably coming very soon.\nThen it just gets embarrassing.\n"Swing with Me" is backed by a big band sound, complete with horns and rumbling drums. You know, like a swing song. Get it? "Swing with Me?" How clever!\nOn "Push your Tush" Simpson does some playful talking to start off the track. "Do you hear that cowbell?/Caca Caca Caca-doodle do" she says.\nHey look! Remember me? I was so goofy and silly on my MTV show! Here I am doing that same bit again on a song called "Push Your Tush." I'm so cute!\nOn a few tracks, such as "The Lover in Me" and "Back to You" Simpson harkens back to her safe pop song style. They come out as the most tolerable cuts on the disc.\nSometimes a change in sound works. (See Clarkson, Kelly.) And in some cases - like Simpson's - it just doesn't.
(09/07/06 1:59am)
Hollywood is notorious for being the town where production companies make huge blockbusters that people watch and love forever. While this is still true for some movies, the remake of British film classic "The Wicker Man" is not one of them.\nNicolas Cage stars as Sheriff Edward Malus who is drawn to a small island when an ex-girlfriend (Kate Beahan) asks him if he can provide any help in searching for her missing daughter. Along the way Malus is thrown further into the traditions of this Neo-pagan town and as the sheriff gets closer and closer to finding this girl he also get closer to the unimaginable wicker man.\nThe music is serviceable, as it is appropriate for a pagan horror movie, but it does not help salvage the drowning of this plot. As the story line is very similar to the original it packs very little punch and scene progression to allow you to buy into the whole story.\nThe original 1973 cult thriller is a sensational movie that is obviously still cherished by many people all over the world. Notice that I say all over the world as the original was not made in Hollywood. It is widely considered as one of the best movies to come out of Great Britain in the last 40 years. Hollywood did a disservice by touching it; perhaps it is time to hit the creative blocks again and leave the classics alone, yes?\nThis version is less than entertaining. Nicolas Cage just is not believable in his role as Edward Malus. He just was simply miscast as it probably would have been better if Edward Malus was played by a lesser known actor, one with experience in weird horror flicks. Regardless of who was cast, though, this movie has no place existing.\nIf you are looking for a great movie to go see this weekend then it would be smart to look through the selections one more time. Nobody should see this movie: it's waste of time and money.
(09/07/06 1:50am)
Who knows what Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were thinking when they wrote this script. Maybe they were just eager to make their writing and directorial debut and didn't care how good the movie itself was. And I don't know what it is about Jason Statham("Snatch," "The Transporter") always choosing to star in movies with lame plots and lots of action. I don't think he's a bad actor -- I just think he makes bad decisions as to what roles to take.\n"Crank" wastes no time revealing what the movie is going to be about. Statham stars as Chev Chelios, a professional killer, who from the opening scene was injected with a fatal Chinese poison that slows his heart rate down and will eventually cause his heart to stop beating. The only way to stay alive is for Chev to keep his adrenaline going and his heart rate up. Chev spends the whole movie searching for Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo), the one who injected him, and hopes to get his revenge before his life is over. But as his death nears, Chev finds himself searching for any kind of adrenaline to keep his heart rate going, from drugs to energy drinks, he also drives through a mall while being chased by cops and holds up a hospital until they give him a drug to get the adrenaline going. Chev even makes his girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart) have sex with him in the middle of Chinatown surrounded by the public. I'm not going to give the ending away, so if you really want to know if Chev gets his revenge and whether or not he dies, you'll have to see the movie. I'd wait for the DVD. \nStatham is good as Chelios; he is a great action star, but might be typecasting himself with The Transporter films. Amy Smart is not in the movie until it's half over, playing a ditzy blonde who doesn't quite understand that Chev is really going to die until the movie is almost over. You will get a lot of laughs from this movie, believe it or not. Efren Ramirez (Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite") playing Kaylo, Chev's cross-dressing friend, makes a hilarious cameo.\nRunning at a mere hour and twenty three minutes, the movie seemed a lot longer. The camera angles and shots move so quickly that you end up feeling nauseous or walk out of the movie with a headache. With an "R" rating, from the drug use, violence and sexual conduct (Smart also performs sexual activities on Statham while he is driving to save their lives), this movie is definitely not for an audience younger than thirteen. \nIf you're going to see this movie, I think it's a see-the-movie-one-time kind of movie, so you just have to decide whether you want to waste your money going to the theatre or wait until the movie's released on DVD.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Underdog sports movies are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. While some are better than others, they almost always contain the same uplifting scenario: The unlikely team or individual showing us that if you stay true to your dreams and work hard, sometimes the impossible can happen. In recent years, Disney has made an art of this formula with such solid fare as "Remember the Titans," "The Rookie" and "Miracle," all well-made and well-acted films that went beyond the standard Cinderella sports story. Their latest release in this genre, "Invincible" is mostly a continuation of that success despite clinging to some of the usual clichés. \n"Invincible" is the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a 30-year-old bartender living in economically downtrodden South Philadelphia, circa 1976. The film's opening has Vince falling on hard times, losing his second job as a schoolteacher and seeing his wife of five years leave him, claiming that he will never amount to anything. The one thing that Vince and his buddies have to keep them going is the Eagles, a lousy excuse for a pro football team struggling so much that their new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) decides to extend an open tryout for the team to the whole city. It's here that Vince gets his chance to prove himself, while in the meantime, giving hope to a city and neighborhood that greatly needs it.\n"Invincible's" real strength lies in the way it portrays South Philly and its inhabitants. The shots of the tough streets of Philadelphia can't help but remind you of the ultimate underdog movie, "Rocky," a film that essentially shares "Invincible's" setting. Unemployment, labor strikes and Vietnam have all had their effect on Vince and his friends, giving the non-sports segments of the movie a gritty and heartfelt tone. One scene has Vince's father persuading his son to not attend the tryout, saying that he's not sure how much more failure Vince will be able to take. In the end, Vince is only able to really succeed when he starts to realize the responsibility he has to those who have so readily rallied around him. \nWahlberg, an underdog actor if there ever was one, plays Papale aptly but minimally, with the script not really allowing us to know more about Vince beyond his resolve, determination and loyalty. Kinnear is also excellent as the tough but fair Vermeil, long known as one of the NFL's most compassionate coaches. Other standouts are Michael Rispoli and Michael Kelly as Vince's genuine and supportive working-class friends, and Kevin Conway as Vince's proud father.\nWhile the film gets bogged down in a somewhat forced romantic storyline and has a resolution that is inevitably predictable, "Invincible" succeeds in showing us what a uniting and powerful force that sports can be. Trivial or not, following sports is something that is important in many people's lives. In one scene Vince's father tells Vince how the Eagles 1948 NFL Championship got him through 30 years of his job at the factory. Those kind of sentiments are undoubtedly still echoed by fans about their respective teams in cities and town across America.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Hilary Duff, what the hell? Why do you keep agreeing to do these crappy movies? You left Disney and deprived us from witnessing Lizzie McGuire's high school years so you wouldn't be branded as a teen star. But since then you've done nothing but these bad kid movies! But the blame for "Material Girls" can't all be put on Hilary, and while it sucks, it really is nothing more than a watchable bad movie.\nHilary and sister Haylie play Tanzie and Ava Marchetta, two cosmetic heiress socialites forced to fend for themselves when their deceased father's company falls victim to scandal and they end up bankrupt. Some of the products cause skin damage and their father knew all along, but tried to cover it up. Turns out daddy's innocent and the girls set out to prove it so they can clear the family name before they are forced to sell the company to rival Fabiella (Anjelica Huston.) Poor Anjelica. While Meryl got to so wonderfully sick her fangs into "The Devil Wears Prada" earlier this summer, she got stuck with this.\nBecause it's a sister movie there's the obligatory drama. However the arguments never really feel like they were actually written into the script. Instead it's as if there was a bullet point saying, "ok throw in a little drama here but have them make up by the next page." Because the dialogue isn't strong there's nothing for the Duffs to work with, so their acting tends to often fall flat. \nThis movie is supposed to be fluff. So it gets extremely awkward when immigration issues get brought up. After the sisters' mansion burns down they move in with their Colombian housekeeper, Inez, who just happens to have two extra beds she's saving for her daughters for when they come to America. "Have you ever heard of post-9/11 immigration delays," Inez asks Ava, who replies with a blank, confused stare that much of the audience will be sharing. In the end when all is well there's a scene with Inez kissing her daughters goodnight in their new beds. How did they finally get there, no explanation is given, just that Ava one promised to bring them over. \nFor some reason director Martha Coolidge (and pretty much every director of a movie like this that's been released in the last five years) feels the need to continuously use wipes to edit and split screens. It's annoying and distracting. But then again that's what the movie itself is, a distraction from everyday life that ends up being annoying.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Dead Prez once rapped in a studio somewhere, "All ya'll records sound the same. I'm sick of that fake thug, R&B-rap scenario, all day on the radio, same scenes in the video, monotonous material…"\nBut ya'll didn't hear Dead Prez right. But, OutKast did. So much is clear with the new release of their album "Idlewild." Don't be thrown off by the flowery title and the Vaudeville themed CD -- OutKast is real hip-hop.\nOutKast has long been proven to be one of hip-hop's kings with albums such as "Stankonia" and "The Love Below/Speakerboxxx." But their latest album, and by far most unique album, truly epitomizes what hip-hop is about.\nOver their last three albums, OutKast has made the transition from a duo (Stankonia) to a duo with separate albums (The Love Below/Speakerboxxx) to singular artists who just so happen to feature each other on everyone of their songs (Idlewild).\n"Idlewild" features much more singing and more obscure rhymes than any of OutKast's previous records. Think of "Idlewild" as OutKast's Sgt. Pepper. The album is more Pink Floyd than P. Diddy and that's what makes it so attractive. Don't expect to hear Lil 'Jon screaming in the background. Instead expect to hear unique music that doesn't sound like everyone else's. OutKast goes out of their way on "Idlewild" to provide a fresh voice that is unlike anyone else in the game.\nThe song "Mighty O," the first song off the album, combines OutKast's throwback rhyming schemes with their new sound. The song is also the perfect vehicle for both of Andre 3000 and Big Boi's styles. In Dre's verse he cleverly raps, "Bored, kind of like a night with sword, Without dragon to battle so I'm runnin from a shadow." I'd reference one of Big Boi's lines, but the verse is so good I couldn't choose one. Seriously.\nOutKast also incorporates different genres of music into their hip-hop album. The song "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry 'Bout Me)" has Dre singing the Blues. Dre sings the Blues so well you'd think he was a direct descendent of John Lee Hooker.\nOn "When I Look In Your Eyes" Dre transforms his style and begins to sound like Frank Sinatra singing in a smoky lounge outside of Reno. In "Morris Brown," the album's first single, OutKast receives the help from Scar, Sleepy Brown, and an unnamed marching band to deliver an up-tempo classic.\nThe song "Hollywood Divorce" features the most star power of any song. The song's first verse is occupied by Lil' Wayne and the song concludes with raps from Snoop Dogg. Did I mention this was the album's slowest and most mellow song?\n"Idlewild" demonstrates OutKast's ability as artists and not as radio-anthem shouters. Like Dead Prez said and OutKast demonstrates in their music, "It's bigger than hip-hop"
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Tom Petty is one of those artists that I have become associated with solely due to the fact that my parents listened to him. Having said this, I'm not a Tom Petty fan per se. I respect him as a musician and acknowledge his great talent. Thus, this is a bit of a stretch for me to review something like this. But I'm not one to dismiss an album based on the fact that it's not something I regularly listen to. Well, on to the review. \nHighway Companion is Petty's third solo outing in nearly a dozen years. Simply put, it's an album about passing the time by. As cheesy and cliché as it may seem, Highway Companion is just that: an album to take with you on a leisurely road trip. The first track, Saving Grace, is spot-on blues rock, the sort of driving down Route 66 type of rock. Square One is a very somber, slower track. Beautiful, yes, but I'm afraid I would fall asleep at the wheel. But things pick back up with Flirting With Time. Just a feel-good track worth singing along to; this is one of the more upbeat songs on the album.\nPetty is an amazingly talented artist in general, and of course a rock icon. On Highway Companion, he plays many of the instruments himself, including the drums, showing how versatile a musician he is. Night Driver is probably the most eclectic (and most enjoyable) track out of the twelve, with bluesy and acoustic guitars, electronic piano, and unusual lyrics. Golden Rose, the final track on Highway Companion, is very Beatles-esque, in that mellow, heartfelt pop sort of way. And it will get stuck in your head as well.\nMost of these songs sound very similar and share similar tempos. This is the main flaw of the album; things tend to get very boring very quickly. It's worth a listen all the way through one time, but the replayability of this record is pretty low. Tracks like Jack and This Old Town are skippable sleep-inducing tracks. And you're not going to find any classic Petty tracks on here like Runnin' Down A Dream or Free Fallin'. Did I mention it's a very short record as well? Well, it really is.\nAll biases aside, this is a well-produced, enjoyable record. A little too twangy in some places, but not country enough to the point of me having to shut it off. But it's an album that you can just relax to; it's very bluesy and very mellow. As far as the road trip analogy is concerned, I'd rather listen to some fast metal or punk to keep me awake. Tom Petty has a very distinctive voice and a lot of talent, and it's amazing that he's still running strong after thirty years. Petty fans will be thrilled that he's back with more classic rock that are sure to impress.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
The only way to fairly critique Paris Hilton's debut album is to assume that there is no such person as Paris Hilton. Paris had about as much to do with the writing, recording, and production of her debut LP as Brian Jones had to do with the writing, recording, and production of the Stones' "Let it Bleed," which is not too damn much. She's there. You can hear (a reasonably vocoded facsimile of) her voice on each track, but her presence is about as heavily sensed as that faint fecal stench on a freshly cleaned toilet. No, Paris is not to blame for the relative disaster that is "Paris." Her songwriters, producers, and record label are.\nParis' commitment level to this project should be evident immediately by the album's cover. Wearing a cocktail dress and sporting that same bored, entitled look in her eyes that was on display during the entire Rick Salomon sex tape, her gaze reflects her singing. Most listeners will sense from track one onward that Hilton spent a grand total of three hours in the studio, resolving to let the producers clean up her mess for the final mix.\nThe producers do their best, but alongside Hilton's record label, they're just acting as enablers. Scott Storch and Rob Cavallo, normally reliable behind the boards, can only scribble a set of competent backbeats and hope Paris' voice doesn't crack. Though I suppose the synthesizers could correct that, too. Lyrically, "Paris" is negligible to the point of words being a non-issue. It's no surprise, then, that Paris is actually credited in co-writing many of the wannas and gonnas herein.\nTracks of special note include "Nothing in This World" and the aptly titled "Screwed," both of which are musically enjoyable enough to forgive. On the other end of the spectrum, a hideous cover of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" comes off as a snotty rhetorical question to affirm Hilton's own faux-celebrity.\nMuch like Lindsay Lohan's 2004 and 2005 albums, and perhaps more like William Hung's "Inspiration," "Paris" is pure empty product. The beats are sometimes infectious and the hooks can be catchy, but as with Paris herself, there doesn't seem to be anything below the surface. After 11 tracks of breathy, synthesized warbling from Miss Hilton, we can only hope that her dreams of success in the music business will fade away quickly.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Danity Kane are inherently formulaic. Diddy's handpicked, burgeoning five-member all girl group of MTV "Making the Band 3" stardom are one part Pussycat Dolls (spectacular looking women), one part Paris Hilton (get the hottest producers to make your tracks) and one part Ashlee Simpson (MTV reality show giving your debut CD all kinds of exposure before it drops.)\nThese are all ingredients in the recipe for commercial music success these days, no doubt. Diddy's choice in sticking to this formula seems to be working. \nThe group's debut CD "Danity Kane" shot to #1 on iTunes' top 100 album list\nand is projected to debut in the top three spots on the Billboard charts among the likes of proven veterans Outkast and Christina Aguilera.\nThe disc springs to life with "One Shot" an upbeat, infectious track that subtly plays with a police siren in the beat. (Sounds annoying, but isn't.) Danity's first single "Show Stopper" is a breathy, sexy trance imploying a "snap beat" to pace the song. One of the albums ballads "Ride For You" succeeds in avoiding lameness (see Rihanna's "Murderer") and highlights the individual singing talents of the girls (however manufactured it may be at times.)\nAundrea pops out as the star of the disc (as she was in "Making the Band 3") leading off vocals on many of the tracks. \nThe lyrics are rather mundane and repetitive (that is, unless you love hearing the word "boy" and "lovin'" in damn near every track) and touch on the topics of love, heartache and relationships. (Shocking!)\nAt 15 tracks, the CD is a bit much to stomach. A few cuts, such as "Come Over" and "Stay on Me" probably could have been shelved, making Danity's debut a tighter, cohesive and overall more enjoyable listen.\nThe groups's name stems from a female anime superhero doodled and conceived by band member Dawn.\nAnd with all their sharply produced beats and micro-managed image, it may be one of the few things Diddy's girls can really claim as their own.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
If you're a band at the epoch of success how do you follow up what is often considered one of the best rock albums ever made? For The Clash, whose epic 1979 double LP, London Calling, is to this day one of the best selling and most renowned albums to ever spin the answer was simple. Go beyond grandiose. \nSandinista! is the kind of album that only a band as audacious, experimental and politically cognizant as The Clash could record. Originally released as a triple LP containing 36 radically different tracks that flirt with the sounds of straight punk, Jamaican "dub" reggae rock, classical chamber ballads and catchy pop, Sandinista! is proof that The Clash could still electrify listeners and move away from simply being classified as merely a punk band. \nWhile there were only three singles off the band's fourth album--the early white boy rap track, "The Magnificent Seven," the bubble gum pop cut, "Hitsville UK" and the military charged "The Call Up"--Sandinista! is more than just a crowded collection of scathing political rock songs. \nHighlights such as the anti-globalization plea, "Charlie Don't Surf," the haunting classical guitar piece, "Rebel Waltz," the straight punk anthem, "Police On My Back," the Calypso Castro revolution pop, "Washington Bullets," or the extremely bizarre but catchy violin wail, "Lose This Skin" are evidence that The Clash was eager to tackle as many sounds and visions as they could, while also giving fans more than enough to chew on. \nAccording to the band's guitarist/lead singer, Joe Strummer, the album was the spawn of a diligent three-week recording session during which the band simply could not stop writing songs. A musical feat of this magnitude could come out as overly ambitious and cluttered, but Sandinista! manages to stay refreshing and keeps the listener curious after every ride. While some argue that the album could have been cut down, I cannot think of a better way to explore this monumental band in the pinnacle of their short-lived career than by taking on the Sandinista!
(08/31/06 4:00am)
For what it is, Madden 07 is a solid football game, but EA's sophomore outing on the 360 falls well-short of what it could be.\nIn terms of pure play mechanics, 07 is as solid, challenging and addictive as any other Madden. Take more than about three seconds to throw after the snap and you're almost guaranteed to get laid out in the turf. And if you think about throwing before your receiver's open, it's going to be another interception for the defense.\nEven the controls seem to have improved in this version thanks to the new highlight stick on offense and kick stick for the point after.\nThankfully, the silly vision cone present in 06's current-gen versions was cut.\nWhere Madden fumbles this year is in presentation. Players look great up close, but from far out (90% of the game is played from a bird's eye view), this barely looks better than an Xbox 1 game aside from some cool weather effects.\nWorse, the game stutters for a second or two after most plays.\nThis is completely unacceptable for a 360 game. \nMusic and sound effects have also taken a step back this year. In the past few Maddens it really pumped up the atmosphere to hear a few riffs of the top-notch soundtrack after a big play. Music is strangely absent on the field most of the time this year for some reason.\nBut perhaps my biggest complaint is the lack of Mr. Turducken himself, John Madden. His name's still on the box, but like last year's 360 version, commentary is provided by some random boring asshat with some kind of fake filter that makes it sound like he's on the radio. To me it's not really Madden without senile comments.\nAlso, EA has an exclusivity agreement with ESPN, Madden 07 lacks the awesome half-time show of old rival ESPN NFL 2K5. \nHeck, the game lacks any kind of a half-time show sans a screen prompting you to continue the game. But a stadium announcer does periodically announce a contest winner and warn unruly patrons they're subject to "ejection and arrest."\nThanks EA, I really prefer threats of getting kicked out of a virtual football stadium instead of a good soundtrack or commentary.\nUnfortunately I have to call this the best football game on the 360, but there are much better versions of Madden on the current-gen systems.\nIf you really need a football fix this season it's Madden 07 is worth picking up, but otherwise try updating the rosters in an older version before plunking down $60 on this year's 360 edition.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
Ninety-Nine Nights is not a complex game. About 90 percent of the gameplay is just pressing "X" repeatedly. Every now and then you might press "Y." About once a level you hit "B."\nRepeat that a few dozen times and you beat the game.\nBut what N3 lacks in depth it makes up for in style. Every new press of the "X" button or combo with "Y" unleashes a giant slash of your melee weapon that sends literally hundreds of orcs and goblins flying that's just as exciting to see the 100th time as it was the first time.\nThe entire game is like the coolest battle scenes from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy amped up to 11 with none of homoerotic hobbit undertones.\nThe graphics aren't jaw-dropping but they're more than acceptable. And it is damn impressive to lead a hundred knights into battle against thousands of orcs with not even a hint of slowdown.\nIf I've got one complaint it's that every now and then the action gets so hectic it's almost impossible to tell where your character is amidst the chaos.\nThere's a decent story here about orbs and the battle of light and dark in the world. It's standard fantasy fair, but it is kind of cool to see the story through the eyes of the seven playable characters.\nThe real highlight here is the orchestrated soundtrack, much of which plays in tandem with the hacking and slashing going on at the time. The musical pieces here are on par with any Hollywood epic.\nThis is no surprise however as the game's producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has worked on some of the greatest soundtrack's in gaming such as "Space Channel 5," "REZ" and "Lumines."\nOn the other hand, voice acting ranges from acceptable to downright cheesy.\nUnlike a lot of other hack and slashers, N3 is pretty long too. Beating the game with all seven characters easily sucks up 20 hours. Beating every level with an "A" or "S" rank to adds on another couple of hours.\nThe unlockable concept art really isn't much motivation to continue though unless you really get into the game's universe.\nN3 won't win any awards for originality, but it is easily the best beat 'em up game to come out since "Dynasty Warriors 2"
(08/31/06 4:00am)
House may be the only show I have ever watched that actually makes me want to catch a rare deadly disease just so I can be abused by a morally ballast self loathing cripple. Sometimes I get so caught up in the fantasy, I forget that if I do come down with a bitchin' case of lupus and get sent to Princeton Plainsborough Hospital, Dr. House isn't going to be there to cure me of my disease and what ever lingering feelings of self worth I may have.\nTruth be told, House is possibly the only watch-able show left on Fox (sorry Simpsons), and through the second season it just seems to get better and better. If you are unfamiliar with the show, the basic premise is someone comes down with a mysterious deadly illness, a team of doctors lead by the cynical and physically/emotionally crippled Dr. House try to figure out what it is, Dr. House makes everyone feel like crap while figuring out what is wrong with the patient, patient is cured, roll credits. \nIn today's television marketplace, medical dramas are a dime a dozen, and with a new version of "CSI" or "Law and Order" hitting the schedule every season, shows centered on investigation are even more common. What sets "House" apart from the rest of the rabble is its unique sense of humor. Patients aren't treated with reverence. They are mocked and degraded. It is almost refreshing that you are expected to laugh at the person dying of cancer instead of cry with them.\nThis DVD set has made some vast improvements over the first season set. For example, this collection includes six single-sided discs as opposed to the three double-sided discs from last season. The double sided DVD is one of the worst ideas in the history of the home entertainment industry. It is up there with the laser disc and Beta. Also, there is the inclusion of watch-able special features. The best you could hope for on the first season was tour of the studio. This season is still light on the special features but at least now there are a couple of commentaries and a blooper reel. Then again, in the end the draw to this show isn't 45 minute character explanations by the executive producers. It is Hugh Laurie and his brilliant portrayal of the main character, which is just as good this season as it was last season, and hopefully will be next season.
