Last week's episode of "The Office," entitled "Cafe Disco" and featuring the dance stylings of the entire Dunder-Mifflin crew, made me realize that I am an absolute sucker for a funny dance scene. This likely derives from my love of creating and/or being a part of funny dance scenes (any witnesses at my wedding reception can attest to that fact).
Here, a few of my favorite dance scenes from TV and film (Note: I'm not taking into account musicals; that's another post altogether):
Footloose: Every time this movie is on cable, I'll turn it on to watch the end prom dance sequence set to the titular Kenny Loggins song. Willard has some serious skillz. And don't tell me that you don't wish you could replicate that one dude's crazy robot moves; I've seen you try.
Napoleon Dynamite: Jamiroquai -- and moon boots -- will always have a special place in my heart.
Seinfeld: "The Elaine." Classic.
Can't Buy Me Love: African Anteater Ritual? Definitely busted that one out at several high school dances.
A League of Their Own: This one made me want to learn how to swing dance. And go to a place called the Suds Bucket. And live in the 1940s.
Scrubs: Turk does the dance from the "Poison" video while trying out for the janitor's air band. And he's damn good at it.
Reality Bites: Our heroes are gettin' down at a convenience store after smoking copious amounts of marijuana. Looks like an absolute blast. Also, please note that the music is coming from a janky boom box on the counter. Awwww, early '90s, you're so cute!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wolverine: The inside scoop on its suckage
Here's something interesting: A friend of mine gave me this insider info about Fox and its latest venture in suckitude, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine":
There ya have it, folks. I think that explains a lot. I know I never actually posted a review, but the long and short of it is, wait for Netflix; the effects will look cooler on a smaller screen (yikes). I will say that the opening credits sequence is actually kinda kick-ass.
The funniest part of my job at Fox was reading news online that was happening in my office instead of finding out about it when I was at work. In mid-October 2007, two weeks before the looming writer's strike, Fox sent out an emergency message to the agencies for writers to work on the Wolverine script. They had received the second draft from David Benioff, who they had paid $1.2 million to, and needed a significant rewrite because there wasn't much action or enough story. Most of the script was rewritten in about eight days. And that's why there are huge narrative gaps. A lot of that may have been easy to fix, but Fox is now such a poorly run company that directors will complain about interference before their movies are released. Fox's strategy to make big movies on the cheap, to con audiences with marketing, and to sue Warner Bros. over some minor rights issue with Watchmen (which backfired; the rumor is that Warners leaked the Wolverine work print) undermined a major tentpole and franchise. I was estimating a sub $200 million gross for Wolverine until I saw it. It's more likely to do X-Men 1 business -- about $160 million. They spent less on it than they did on X-Men 3, but I don't think this will end up as all that profitable and it has hurt the various spin-offs and sequels that were in development.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Austin power
The lineup for the Austin City Limits Music Festival is out. In a word: Yesssssssss!
A sampling of the 100-some bands playing: Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band, Ghostland Observatory, Ben Harper, John Legend, Lily Allen, the Avett Brothers, Sonic Youth, Mos Def, The Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys.
I suggest you get thee to Austin, Texas, from Oct. 2-4. Tickets are only $185. That's what I call value.
A sampling of the 100-some bands playing: Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band, Ghostland Observatory, Ben Harper, John Legend, Lily Allen, the Avett Brothers, Sonic Youth, Mos Def, The Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys.
I suggest you get thee to Austin, Texas, from Oct. 2-4. Tickets are only $185. That's what I call value.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Merry vs. Pippin
Noticed the other day that Dominic Monaghan is in the new Wolverine movie coming out next week, and it got me to thinking: Wow, little Merry has come a long way. Monaghan used his turn as mischievous hobbit Merry in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy to launch himself into a fantastic role on "Lost" (And I'll bet more people call him "Charlie" on the street than "Merry." Just a guess.) and now a huge summer blockbuster. Good on ya, brutha!
Anyway, fellow hobbit Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Pippin, appeared in "Master and Commander" -- the same year that "Return of the King" came out, 2003 -- and hasn't really had a memorable role since.
So, this round of Hobbit vs. Hobbit goes to Monaghan.
Anyway, fellow hobbit Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Pippin, appeared in "Master and Commander" -- the same year that "Return of the King" came out, 2003 -- and hasn't really had a memorable role since.
So, this round of Hobbit vs. Hobbit goes to Monaghan.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Summer movie preview
Good God, is it seriously almost May? It is? Well, that's sorta kick ass because that means summer movie season is right around the corner.
The flicks I'm jazzed about (in order of release date):
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (May 1): It can't be any worse than "X-Men 3," right?
"Star Trek" (May 7): I know you all thought I was a big dork, but one glaring omission on my nerd resume is that I've never seen a "Star Trek" movie. At least not that I remember. I gotta say, though, the trailer for J.J. Abrams' reboot looks good enough for me to want to see in the theater. And I think casting Simon Pegg as Scottie is down right awesome.
"Terminator: Salvation" (May 27): I really wish I didn't want to see this movie. I really wish it looked like McG destroyed the once-proud franchise. But dammit if that trailer doesn't knock my socks off. Also, I trust Christian Bale to make good movies. Perhaps he will prove me wrong this time. Here's hoping he won't.
"Up" (May 29): Looks to be another genius effort by Pixar.
"The Hangover" (June 5): Todd Phillips, the dude who brought us "Old School," seems to have found another great recipe for comedy gold. The premise is simple: Friends head to Vegas for a bachelor party blowout, but get so effed up that they can't remember what happened the night before. Like, where did this baby come from? And why is there a Tiger in their hotel room? Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis will be the Michael Cera-Jonah Hill or Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy team of the summer.
"Year One" (June 19): Speaking of Michael Cera, he stars in this spoof on primitive life, written and directed by Harold Ramis. Cast is stellar (Jack Black, David Cross, Paul Rudd, Hank Azaria), and if the rest of the film is anywhere near as funny as the clip with Cross and Rudd as Cain and Abel, well, I think we'll have a winner.
"Public Enemies" (July 1): Like I said, I trust Christian Bale to make good movies, almost as much as I trust Johnny Depp (let's face it, even his more bizarre films are still quality entertainment). Directed by Michael Mann (!), it's the real-life story of Depression-era bank robber John Dillenger (Depp), who is being pursued by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Sign me up!
"Bruno" (July 10): Like "Borat," but probably even more offensive.
"Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince" (July 15): Ahhhhhhhhh! Why can't I go watch this one NOW?!?!?!?! (Side note: How is this movie rated PG? And if they decide to make the last two HP movies PG, that likely means they'll be taking out a lot of good action. Just sayin'.)
"(500) Days of Summer" (July 17): Looks like a funny and sad but ultimately uplifting movie. Synopsis via film's site: "When Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer (Zooey Deschanel) dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days "together" to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life." All together now: Awwwww.
"Inglorious Basterds" (Aug. 21): I still can't tell if Quentin Tarantino is trying to be sorta serious or just completely tongue-in-cheek with his twisted take on World War II. What I can tell is that it's gonna be flippin' violent. Game on.
The flicks I'm jazzed about (in order of release date):
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (May 1): It can't be any worse than "X-Men 3," right?
"Star Trek" (May 7): I know you all thought I was a big dork, but one glaring omission on my nerd resume is that I've never seen a "Star Trek" movie. At least not that I remember. I gotta say, though, the trailer for J.J. Abrams' reboot looks good enough for me to want to see in the theater. And I think casting Simon Pegg as Scottie is down right awesome.
"Terminator: Salvation" (May 27): I really wish I didn't want to see this movie. I really wish it looked like McG destroyed the once-proud franchise. But dammit if that trailer doesn't knock my socks off. Also, I trust Christian Bale to make good movies. Perhaps he will prove me wrong this time. Here's hoping he won't.
"Up" (May 29): Looks to be another genius effort by Pixar.
"The Hangover" (June 5): Todd Phillips, the dude who brought us "Old School," seems to have found another great recipe for comedy gold. The premise is simple: Friends head to Vegas for a bachelor party blowout, but get so effed up that they can't remember what happened the night before. Like, where did this baby come from? And why is there a Tiger in their hotel room? Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis will be the Michael Cera-Jonah Hill or Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy team of the summer.
"Year One" (June 19): Speaking of Michael Cera, he stars in this spoof on primitive life, written and directed by Harold Ramis. Cast is stellar (Jack Black, David Cross, Paul Rudd, Hank Azaria), and if the rest of the film is anywhere near as funny as the clip with Cross and Rudd as Cain and Abel, well, I think we'll have a winner.
"Public Enemies" (July 1): Like I said, I trust Christian Bale to make good movies, almost as much as I trust Johnny Depp (let's face it, even his more bizarre films are still quality entertainment). Directed by Michael Mann (!), it's the real-life story of Depression-era bank robber John Dillenger (Depp), who is being pursued by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Sign me up!
"Bruno" (July 10): Like "Borat," but probably even more offensive.
"Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince" (July 15): Ahhhhhhhhh! Why can't I go watch this one NOW?!?!?!?! (Side note: How is this movie rated PG? And if they decide to make the last two HP movies PG, that likely means they'll be taking out a lot of good action. Just sayin'.)
"(500) Days of Summer" (July 17): Looks like a funny and sad but ultimately uplifting movie. Synopsis via film's site: "When Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer (Zooey Deschanel) dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days "together" to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life." All together now: Awwwww.
"Inglorious Basterds" (Aug. 21): I still can't tell if Quentin Tarantino is trying to be sorta serious or just completely tongue-in-cheek with his twisted take on World War II. What I can tell is that it's gonna be flippin' violent. Game on.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Review: Adventureland
RATING: Recommend it
ANALOGY: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" meets "Dazed and Confused"
SYNOPSIS: A coming-of-age comedy set in the summer of 1987 about an uptight recent college grad (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to take a job at a local amusement park when he realizes he can't afford his dream European vacation.
SOUNDTRACK: Yes, full of stellar '80s tunes. You'll never think of "Rock Me Amadeus" the same way again.
REVIEW: "Adventureland" gives to the world '80s nostalgia in a sophisticated way, plenty of belly laughs, a wide-ranging cast, a believable plot and an overall enjoyable 2 hours at the movies.
The amusement park locale is fertile ground for hijinx and relationship growth. And really, any place where bulk of its employees are high school and college students is going to provide that fertile ground. Director Greg Mottola ("Superbad") actually based this film on his experiences as a teenager working at an amusement park in New Jersey. The first-hand experience shines through in behind-the-scenes details -- i.e. How do they rip off midway game players? And where do those stuffed bananas with googly eyes come from? -- and in the characters that inhabit the park each summer.
The '80s setting feels authentic, like it actually could have been shot during the John Hughes Era (unlike, say, "The Wedding Singer," which over-accentuates the '80s the clothing, music and pop culture references purely for cheap laughs). "Adventureland" winks at the bad hair, stone-washed jeans and Material Girl personas, but those things blend in with what really is a timeless coming-of-age plot.
I've heard Eisenberg ("Rodger Dodger") described as the poor man's Michael Cera. The analogy fits -- awkward, mumbling, poofy hair and adorable -- but he brings more maturity to his character. Rightly so, as James is a recent college grad and not a recent high school grad. Kristen Stewart's main acting technique is running her fingers through her long, chestnut hair, but somehow, it works and soon the audience is as drawn to her Em as Eisenberg's James is.
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig (both of "SNL" fame) absolutely kill in their roles as married park managers. And Martin Scott ("Knocked Up") puts a new spin on the nerdy intellectual, giving him an almost goth-emo-indie feel -- as opposed to a McLovin' type.
While Mottola's follow-up outing to "Superbad" likely won't be as oft-quoted as its predecessor, "Adventureland" has the potential to catch on as a more cultish film, a la "Dazed and Confused," for the 20- to 30-something crowd.
ANALOGY: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" meets "Dazed and Confused"
SYNOPSIS: A coming-of-age comedy set in the summer of 1987 about an uptight recent college grad (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to take a job at a local amusement park when he realizes he can't afford his dream European vacation.
SOUNDTRACK: Yes, full of stellar '80s tunes. You'll never think of "Rock Me Amadeus" the same way again.
REVIEW: "Adventureland" gives to the world '80s nostalgia in a sophisticated way, plenty of belly laughs, a wide-ranging cast, a believable plot and an overall enjoyable 2 hours at the movies.
The amusement park locale is fertile ground for hijinx and relationship growth. And really, any place where bulk of its employees are high school and college students is going to provide that fertile ground. Director Greg Mottola ("Superbad") actually based this film on his experiences as a teenager working at an amusement park in New Jersey. The first-hand experience shines through in behind-the-scenes details -- i.e. How do they rip off midway game players? And where do those stuffed bananas with googly eyes come from? -- and in the characters that inhabit the park each summer.
The '80s setting feels authentic, like it actually could have been shot during the John Hughes Era (unlike, say, "The Wedding Singer," which over-accentuates the '80s the clothing, music and pop culture references purely for cheap laughs). "Adventureland" winks at the bad hair, stone-washed jeans and Material Girl personas, but those things blend in with what really is a timeless coming-of-age plot.
I've heard Eisenberg ("Rodger Dodger") described as the poor man's Michael Cera. The analogy fits -- awkward, mumbling, poofy hair and adorable -- but he brings more maturity to his character. Rightly so, as James is a recent college grad and not a recent high school grad. Kristen Stewart's main acting technique is running her fingers through her long, chestnut hair, but somehow, it works and soon the audience is as drawn to her Em as Eisenberg's James is.
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig (both of "SNL" fame) absolutely kill in their roles as married park managers. And Martin Scott ("Knocked Up") puts a new spin on the nerdy intellectual, giving him an almost goth-emo-indie feel -- as opposed to a McLovin' type.
While Mottola's follow-up outing to "Superbad" likely won't be as oft-quoted as its predecessor, "Adventureland" has the potential to catch on as a more cultish film, a la "Dazed and Confused," for the 20- to 30-something crowd.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Cereal overload
This just in from the AP:
I'm pretty sure Phelps could eat all of that cereal in a week by himself, what with his ridiculous 12,000-calories-a-day diet. Speaking of which, check out this Kent State student who ate the Phelps diet for one day. I shudder to think what his digestive system went through after the fact. No bueno.
Kellogg Co. has recently donated thousands of boxes of cereal with Michael Phelps’ picture on them to the San Francisco Food Bank.
Kellogg last month declined to renew its endorsement deal with the Olympic swimming star after a photo surfaced showing him smoking from a marijuana pipe.
Food bank executive director Paul Ash says he doesn’t know specifically why the cereal was donated.
Kellogg officials responded to questions Wednesday with an e-mail saying the company routinely donates food that is nearing the end of its shelf life but still good.
I'm pretty sure Phelps could eat all of that cereal in a week by himself, what with his ridiculous 12,000-calories-a-day diet. Speaking of which, check out this Kent State student who ate the Phelps diet for one day. I shudder to think what his digestive system went through after the fact. No bueno.
Sit Down, Shut Up
Hey, don't call me rude! That's just the name of Fox's new animated series, which premieres April 19. It's about the dysfunctional staff at Knob Haven High, with voice work by Will Arnett (health teacher), Jason Bateman (P.E. teacher), Henry Winkler (German teacher), Cheri O'Teri, Will Forte and Kenan Thompson, among others. Oh, and did I mention it was created by Mitch Hurwitz? Yes, the same Mitch Hurwitz who created "Arrested Development." Yay.
Now, let's do the math on this one. First of all, "Sit Down, Shut Up" is a FOX animated series (they've had some success with those, right? "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," and "Futurama" come to mind). It was created by Mitch Hurwitz. And it will be voiced by all those people I mentioned above. So, yeah, that all adds up to awesome in this gal's book. Consider my DVR series recording set.
As a bonus treat, here's a fun clip of Arnett and Bateman trashing each other. Pure comedy.
Now, let's do the math on this one. First of all, "Sit Down, Shut Up" is a FOX animated series (they've had some success with those, right? "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," "King of the Hill," and "Futurama" come to mind). It was created by Mitch Hurwitz. And it will be voiced by all those people I mentioned above. So, yeah, that all adds up to awesome in this gal's book. Consider my DVR series recording set.
As a bonus treat, here's a fun clip of Arnett and Bateman trashing each other. Pure comedy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Cornhole: The serious side
The American Cornhole Organization (ACO), the governing body for the sport of cornhole, wants you to know about the serious side of the game.
National rankings? Check.
High-stakes tournaments? Check.
A movie tie-in? Check.
And here I thought it was a game to play while drinking beer in your back yard and/or tailgating. Guess it's time to get serious, folks!
National rankings? Check.
High-stakes tournaments? Check.
A movie tie-in? Check.
And here I thought it was a game to play while drinking beer in your back yard and/or tailgating. Guess it's time to get serious, folks!
The Sausage King of the Netherlands
Was watching the World Baseball Classic last night, Puerto Rico vs. the Netherlands, when lo and behold, Randall Simon strolled to the plate for the Netherlands.
Weird. I didn't know he was from the Netherlands. Turns out, he's not. He's from Curacao, one of five islands in the Netherlands Antilles (a.k.a. the West Indies), so he's eligible to play for the Dutch.
Interesting. But I must admit that every time I see Randall Simon or hear his name, all I can think of is the Sausage Race incident of 2003.
Weird. I didn't know he was from the Netherlands. Turns out, he's not. He's from Curacao, one of five islands in the Netherlands Antilles (a.k.a. the West Indies), so he's eligible to play for the Dutch.
Interesting. But I must admit that every time I see Randall Simon or hear his name, all I can think of is the Sausage Race incident of 2003.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
