North Country

Overall a decent movie that could have been a lot better in the hands of a better director. Luckily the directors inabilities with the story and how to show it did not destroy the movie completely which is mostly due to Charlize Theron. She definitely proved that Monster was not a fluke. All the acting was good. Even Woody Harrelson who I normally don't care that much for was on the mark.


Spoilers To Follow:


While most of the stuff at the mine was done pretty well it was all the in between stuff that wasn't handle very well all the time. The scene at the bar when we first meet Bill White (Woody Harrelson) was way to long. It could have been half as long or shorter and still served its purpose. The part when Sherry (Michelle Monaghan) hit on Bill was completely unneccessary and helped show another part of the problem with the movie. It was like Niki Caro didn't want you to feel to sorry for the woman. Like she wanted you to kind of feel like they invited some of it on themselves.

I liked the difference in how the woman saw stuff and were torn with what to do. Should they side with Josey or just keep quite. Especially Glory (Frances McDormand) being the union rep. She was trying to fix the small things perfectly content to try and be one of the boys maybe hoping the others would follow her lead and that would slowly start to make things better only none of them really knew how to do that. It was also interesting to see how she was still basically afraid or unwilling to help the cause when she had nothing else to lose fearing it might only make the problems worse.

Interesting the difference in the laws and courts today though. If they tried something like they did with that teacher and trying to make her out to be a slut for having sex with a teacher nowadays the judge would most likely fine them beyond all belief. That was so out of control. And that guy was the most despicable person ever for lying about what he saw.

I did like the scene at the union meeting when she tried to speak. I did really care for her father until that point. And I couldn't figure out why he was being such a jerk to her and that scene answered it. He didn't really believe her because he hadn't seen it until then. But when he actually saw how bad it was he realized he had been the jerk and his daughter wasn't lying. Not that, that totally made up for his behavior but at least he came around to her side a bit.

You know that this movie wouldn't have been made if Josie and the others hadn't won their case so I was wondering how they were going to give the end any dramatic impact. That was probably the only thing the director nailed. Having everyone slowly stand up and show their support for Josie, starting with Glory's boyfriend reading that letter for her was really powerful.


Paid full price and despite my issues with the directing it was still worth that price.

The Season So Far

First just a couple thoughts on my last few new shows. I am actually quite surprised with The Night Stalker its stories are better than I was expecting. With stars Gabrielle Union and Stuart Townsend the acting was bound to be good so the stories and how they were told was the big question mark with this show. They are no longer a question mark. The only real problem with the show is that they shoot it too dark. It's way to hard in some scenes to see what's going on and I get that it's suppose to be spooky but when you can't even see the expressions on the actors faces sometimes you just don't know if what's going on is suppose to be spooky or just surprising. It's in a bad time slot and is suffering in the ratings. Not really expecting it to make it through the season.

I am also really enjoying Related it's a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be. The relationship between the sisters is great. I don't have any siblings but can still relate very well to the characters and their connections. Hopefully it will start getting some better ratings and get a full season pick up.

As for other shows I am no longer watching Kitchen Confidential (Just wasn't grabbing me and there was nothing special about it.), Sex, Love, & Secrets (Which I stopped watching before it was officially cancelled.), and My Name Is Earl (It's a fun show but nothing that really keeps me interested.)

Into The Blue

The main reason I saw this one is because I am a Jessica Alba fan. I know a lot of people just see her as another young pretty face but there is so much more there. My expectations for the movie weren't very high and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it turned out. There was some under water stuff with the actors that was a little weird and just didn't look right but, otherwise the over all look of the film was very good. There was some cheesy dialouge but I have to give credit to all the actors for doing their best to sell those lines. No one just phoned it in. Some of the diving footage could have been shortend up which would have helped because of the times when the story seemed to lose focus. Jessica and Paul Walker were both good which isn't a surprise. Felt Scott Caan over did it a couple times but other than that he was pretty good as well. Josh Brolin wasn't very good which also isn't a surprise. But Ashley Scott was just bad. I've seen her in a couple things so far and people just need to stop giving her work.


Spoilers Ahead! Skip the red if you don't want to risk having anything ruined.


I knew pretty early that Josh Brolin was one of the bad guys but I did not anticipate that cop friend of Jessica and Paul's characters being a bad guy. I figured he'd just end up still going to the wrong cop for help.

I was so glad when they finally got rid of Ashley Scott's character but it just was not dramatic at all. It almost would have been better if the drug guys had just kept her hostage and her get killed when Josh's character killed everyone on the boat. The thing with the shark for all the basic build up to it just didn't work really well. That was also one of the things that bothered me about Scott's character, how unfeeling he was. Yes they had only known each other a matter of days but come on that was just a bit ridiculous.

And at the end when they used the sharks to their advantage to help kill the bad guys I have to say having the shark come up from underneath and bite that guy between the legs was rather fun. Yes I'm sure it wasn't so fun for all the guys in the audience but it was different than most shark bites so points to the director for that one.


Saw this one at a matinee and it was well worth that price and I would not have been upset had I paid full price for it.

Domino

Good story a little loose in places. The acting all around was pretty good but Tony Scott's directing style nearly killed it. He needs to learn how to edit stuff tighter. And if there was one more shot of those gold fish in that bowl I may have thrown something at the screen. It didn't drag as badly has some of his other work but useless shots really kill the overall flow. Since it was in the previews I can put it here without doing it in the red spoiler area. While the part with Mo'Nique on The Jerry Springer Show was fun and a good laugh it was pointless to the overall story and another one of those things that if left on the floor could have helped the pacing of the film.


Now a few things that could be seen by some as spoilers so skip the red typing if you don't want anything ruined for you.


Kiera Knightly freaking rocked in this kickass role. I swear even if this movie had turned into a complete disaster it would have been worth it for the part when she broke Brian Austin Green's nose. How many of us would love to do that? And seriously how funny was it when he was telling her how her bad girl act couldn't fool him because he's an actor. He may be an actor but we all know he's a bad one.

The scene when they crash in the desert another example of Tony's bad editing. I am not one of those people who gets down on every sex scene in every movie for being pointless or gratuitous but come on this one was a bit ridiculous. Much better if the bus crashes and then the next morning they manage to flag down a passing motorist.

Also don't need the backstory on their driver/explosives guy. That was just pointless on all levels. It only serviced an ending that didn't need to be serviced by that much screen time.


Paid full price and do good acting and a decent story designed for no other purpose than a couple hours of fun in mind it was worth it. Luckily also the actors understood it was just a fun crazy movie and didn't take it or themselves too seriously. That would have killed the whole thing.

Proof

No more long breaks for Gwyneth. The girl doesn't like for courage on in the roles she takes. To not do anything for so long and then come back and do a role where if she is off the slightest bit it will ruin the whole movie is damn gutsy. And she totally nailed it. I know she played the same role on stage but that can sometimes lead to disaster. She could have tried to do play something slightly different to freshen it up and have it back fire. I don't know that she didn't do that as I never saw her on stage, clearly, but if she did do that it worked. Jake Gyllenhal was great as well. He had a less openly emotional role but he did a great job getting through what he needed to get through from his character. If he had let down the slightest bit to Gwyneth things could have been bad but he didn't. He's always done good work and he continues to show he's at the top of his generation of actors.

Saw it at a matinee and would have been happy to pay full price for it.

Boston Legal

I love this show. The character of Alan Shore was a great addition to the final season of The Practice and an even better one to use for a spin-off. He'd be a great character to base a show around spin-off or original series. David E. Kelley is a master of the quirky character. And in Alan Shore and Denny Crane he's created two of his best. The cases he's come up with so far are also some of his best. The only thing that has surprised me with this show is the female characters. David usually makes great female characters, no one writes women better than David does. But, he just hasn't gotten a real grasp on these women. Maybe that's his cast, perhaps their personalities just aren't meshing well with the characters.

His selection of actresses has been great. Monica Potter and Rhona Mitra, both great. I was worried about the shelf life of Tara (Rhona) once he decided to go ahead and hook her and Alan up. Monica's character never seemed to fit in real well. Lori Colson (Monica) was a little to tight and never got a ton of fun stuff or banter (althought that time when she told Tara she was "nasty hot" still makes me laugh when I think about it). Being the straight woman to everyone elses wackiness just wasn't working. Brad Chase (Mark Valley) being the straight man in that same wackiness works very well but I think that's because he has a very direct oppostion in Alan. Lori being the balance for the rest of the cast was to much to ask. In the first season I was very heart broken by the departure of Lake Bell. I think of all the casting changes that was the hardest to take. The actress and the character had so much potential in David's hands.

The addition of Candice Bergen was a stroke of genius though. She is a great opposition to Alan and Denny. And the perfect actress to go toe-to-toe with Spader and Shatner. Wasn't to thrilled with the addition of Julie Bowen over the summer. In the few times I watched Ed I was not that impressed with her. That has all changed in the first couple episodes of Boston Legal. She has been great. And love the fast one they seemed to have pulled in filming. I'm thinking they left a lot of Monica's scenes on the floor in favor of new scenes with Julie, Ryan Michelle Bathe, and Justin Mentell.

Don't believe me, look at the evidence. The guest appearances by Heather Locklear and Rupert Everett were announced early in the year. There were five episodes left unaired when the show was bumped for Grey's Anatomy, those episodes where then added to the season two run. It's reasonable to assume that by the time ABC made the decision all the episodes were pretty much in the can. (I'd say at least three of them were completely done the other two might have still been shooting or editing.) Add to that, that in the first episode Julie and the other newbies did not appear in any scenes with the established cast members. Julie appeared in one scene with Candice in the second episode, and how else would you explain her letting two pretty much straight out of law school associates handle her divorce? That's a lot of money to risk in the hands of people with very little experience.

As for the big case. Heather Locklear was perfect. Spader was on his game. That thing when he was stretching before pointing at and accusing the housekeeper of the murder was to funny. Freaking love David bringing Anthony Heald over as Judge Harvey Cooper from The Practice. Those were two of my all time favorite episodes and he was a big reason they were so good. Ranks as one of my all-time favorite tv judges.

But the end when Betty White whacked Leslie Jordan with the frying pan and killed him was the best part of the second episode. I absolutely love how David takes actors and actresses always associated with the nice character and has them do something so bad. Can't wait to see how this case plays out especially with Alan and Denny off in Canada fishing.

The Constant Gardener

This wasn't a movie I was initially going to see. It just didn't look all that good. But it was getting tons of critical praise (not something I pay a lot of attention to) and some of that praise was leaning towards award buzz. I do try to stay up on award stuff unless it's just something I can't stand. Unfortunately that buzz (and ultimately nominations) can lead to miserable hours of watching movies such as Lost In Translation and Sideways. But since I am a fan of Rachel Weisz I figured I'd see this one.

It was okay. Rachel and Ralph Fiennes gave nice performances. The story was pretty good unfortunately a lot of that was lost in not so great direction and way to slow a movie. The pacing was way to slow for a movie of this type. That slowness killed any suspense in the movie and the story needed the suspense. They easily could have shaved ten minutes off the film and that would have made a huge difference. I know to some people that may not seem like a lot but believe me with a movie like this it can make all the difference. I don't know what the director hoped to accomplish with some of the framing of certain shots but whatever it was it didn't work.


SPOILERS Ahead:


Considering all the people close to Justin (Ralph) who conspired in their own ways against Tessa (Rachel) and ultimately played some hand in her murder he never got mad enough for my taste. Yes he hunted down the truth but he never really got angry at anyone. I mean he looked two different men in the eye who admitted informing different parties about her where abouts and he just walked away from them. He never directly lashed out at them physically. And yes violence is not always the answer but come on we are suppose to believe her loved her so much that he would give up his career and ultimately his life for the truth but he wouldn't punch the people who made it easy for the bad guys to find her and kill her. Not buying it.

And that part about him giving up his life. Yeah, I didn't care for that much either. Exactly what was the point of him doing that other than to be with her. Fine he got the report and the letter off to the right people but why didn't he continue on then and make sure people were punished or something. I didn't like him just sitting out there in the middle of nowhere waiting for the bad guys to come kill him. And no I don't care if it is based on a book and that was probably the ending in the book it's still a stupid ending.


I saw this one at a matinee and that is what it's worth money wise, but, like I said it was at least ten minutes to long.

An Unfinished Life

The number one comment I have about this movie is, why, why can't she just be Jennifer Lopez the actress why does she insist on being J. Lo the star most of the time?

It was a pretty good movie. Good performances all around. I was especially impressed with Becca Gardner, the young actress who played Jennifer's daughter. She was in what could have easily been intimidating company every where she looked in every scene but she held her own. The whole movie was beautifully shot and well executed. The overall story was good rather subtle on it's exact theme but that was just how it needed to be. It was not something that should have been done in a a heavy handed way.


SPOILERS Ahead:


There was some stuff I didn't fully understand. Especially with the bear, at first anyway. I did like it but I didn't always get what it's emphasis on the movie was. I mean it was important to explain Morgan's character and what happened to him. It did turn out to be an intersting way for Redford and the girl to bond though. I was surprised though that after they tried to set the bear free that Jennifer didn't lose it when she found out what they had really been up to. I mean he did put the only good thing she really had left in her life in a rather dangerous situation. And man when Morgan had to stand there and let that bear charge him that must have been freaky.

Didn't really care for or buy that whole thing between Jennifer and the sheriff, played by Josh Lucas. I mean her basically using sex to get protection unnecessary. It's a small ranching town the sheriff doesn't have a lot to do and being friends and all with Redford he'd have been looking out for her anyway. That's what sheriff's in tiny towns like that do. If it had been played as more of a real relationship from the start it would have been more believable.

It was a different story than I was expecting. The previews lead you to believe there was more of a big mystery behind what happened to his son but it was nothing more than an accident and him just not being able to deal. Didn't hurt the movie made for a better movie this way really.


So over all it was worth the time and money of seeing this movie. That's basically how I rate movies by how much I paid. I pay full price for most things and then gauge if it was worth that much or not. And yes I paid full price for this one.

NHL Returns

Tonight's the big night play officially resumes in the NHL. Okay so yes they have been playing preseason for a couple weeks but that doesn't really count since they don't show those games. At least not here they don't.

I am so excited for this now red line for passing rule. That is really going to create some great stuff I think. I wonder if they will really stay tight with obstruction calls all season. They've said they were going to crack down on it for the past couple season but about 20 games or less in they suddenly don't see the hooking and grabbing going on. It's always good when they are calling it because powerplays can be really exciting and really stressful depending on which side your team is on and how close the score is.

Living in Colorado I am an Avs fan. Sad to see Peter go but since had he stayed there's a 90% chance Alex Tanguay would have been traded I'm not that upset about it. I'm sick of all my favorite players being the ones to go. And being that my eastern confrence team is the Montreal Canadians and my favorite player there has for years been Patrice Brisebois I was extremely happy when he signed with the Avs. He was the one player I thought they should go after.

Reunion writing

I do see some of the flaws in the writing for Reunion however, it seems some people are being a little to hard on it. I've been trying to figure out why exactly that is. I think I may have figured it out.

Us the viewer have become accustomed to very clever writing with these kinds of shows. A lot of that comes from pop culture references. Those references are usually very 80's-centric and now 90's stuff is in there a lot too. So we get Reunion a show that spans the mid 80's to now, and there by can not at this point make those clever references to stuff since it is either happening at that time or has yet to happen. Perhaps if everyone lays off a bit it will gradually get better as the years go by and these people can reference all that stuff. Stuff I might add that they will be able to reference in a different way than a lot of characters on tv since they will have actually lived it.

If you pay attention they are already doing a fun job in some ways. The first epiosde made reference to Carla being the Molly Ringwald of the group. Good reference that is usuable then, hell that reference will still be usable 10 more years down the road. And for those of us who 9 or so that thing with Jenna dancing on the cars in the music video priceless.

Veronica Mars

HOLY CRAP! It's back and better than it was last season.

I was so disappointed when the person at the door was Logan. Glad Veronica was too. He is a jerk and not worthy of Veronica. And even if he had the potential to be worthy of her he's done nothing to prove it. He has even more work to do now to redeem himself and that's just to get back to being friends. There may not be enough redemtion to make him worthy of more. Duncan however, is so much better for her. Yes, I know he was a jerk to her for awhile as well. But, he had reason to treat her like that. I mean possibly sleeping with your sister, and then her dad trying to destroy his family (with cause but he didn't know that) it's not exactly the makings of a good relationship. Now that, that's all worked out they can get back to being a happy couple. Of course if it weren't for how strange and icky things might be on account of their parents dating I'd like to see her with Wallace. And it would ultimately ruin their great friendship which would suck.

Anyway onto the real reason this show rocks, the mystery. Wow, first that thing with Logan being suspected of killing one of Weevil's boys. And then the crash. I think I may have actually stopped breathing for a minute. I had read the big mystery involved a bus accident but never anticipated it being why the bus plunged off a cliff. And with Meg on board, heartbreaking. What a great move by the writers having a vision of Lily lead Veronica to Weevil and off that bus. Guess someone had a guardian cheerleader.

Great to see the shows numbers were up. Not by a big amount for a show on a big four network but a huge amount for UPN. Now if all those poeople will just keep watching and help get more people to watch.

And to anyone whose reading this and contemplating watching the show who thinks it seems kinda lame and that's why you aren't watching. I was you last season until Alyson Hannigan's first guest appearance. Big fan and I read she was all mean so I wanted to see that. Watched one episode before her appearance to kinda get a feel for what was going on and I was totally hooked. It is well worth your time.

Sex, Love, & Secrets

In the first episode it seemed that this was clearly one of those good in theory shows. The idea just didn't play out very well. Even with a fairly decent cast it can't be saved. It seems the characters aren't very well thought out. The only one who seemed complete was Denise Richards. Now that might be because the bitch is usually not a very complex character and if she is it's hidden under all that bitchiness and the fun of the character is figuring out why she's like that. Then again it could just be that Denise knows exactly what the point of her character is and how to play it while the others have no idea what's going on.

The second episode was better it had a lot more focus. It would have been very easy to figure out what was going on without the first episode. The network should have dumped the pilot episode and just started with episode two. Perhaps the reviews wouldn't have been quite so bad if people would have seen that episode instead. Doesn't mean it would have faired any better in the ratings but, you never know.

First or second episode though the narration is overdone and really annoying. It serves no purpose to the story. As much as I like Desperate Housewives its success has unfortunately led to, too many shows using narration as if that's the secret key to success. News flash for all those people it's not helping. Most shows I've seen suffer as a result of the naration a few it really does help but if it's just there to be there like with this show then it needs to be cut from all scripts.

Even though the second episode was better with the announcement that UPN has shut down production on the show there is no reason to continue watching to see if it keeps getting better.