Ananas

Constantine - **1/2 (5/10) Acclaimed music video director Francis Lawrence's "Constantine", an adaptation of the DC coming book "Hellblazer", is filled with promise. It stars Keanu Reeves, the bankable action star who seems at his best when fighting an unseen evil force. The supporting cast includes Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou and Shia LaBeuof. The special effects are fantastic, and the premise is intriguing. Unfortunately, its director shows his lack of experience as the film runs out of steam after the first act, leaving the rest of the film a confusing, silly mess despite its best intentions. Reeves leads the star studded cast of the film as John Constantine, a once-dead misfit hoping to buy his way into heaven with a series of good deeds and exorcisms. When he meets Weisz's Angela Dodson, a policewoman dealing with the suicide of her sister Isabel, they begin to unravel a mystery with catastrophic implications. While there is plenty to like about this movie, I feel that it's a bit too derivative of another religion themed movie, Dogma. Like Dogma, we see our unlikely heroes teamed with pretty yet hard nosed women and set out to save the world from demons acting away from Satan's control. Like Dogma, we hear the "humans aren't good enough" speech from the eventually revealed villain (interestingly enough, it happens in both movies around the same time our leading lady is seen emerging from a pool of water soaked from head to toe). Unfortunately unlike Dogma, we're supposed to take this movie seriously, and because of some of the inherited silliness, it just doesn't work for me. Constantine is an interesting but ultimately disappointing action thriller. Thumbs down.

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I wouldn't call the Gardens a dump. It was better kept than Fenway and Yankee Stadium, but I don't hear people calling those dumps. It was "aged".

Ong-Bak - *** (6.5/10) Ong-Bak comes from director Prachya Pinkaew, but I doubt anyone is really concerned with that. Pinkaew wrote the film with martial arts choreographer Panna Rittikrai, but I have the suspicion that you don't give a damn about that either. No, this is not a film of unique direction or strong writing, or for that matter, even strong acting. This is an action film, made in a style no longer found anywhere in North America. This isn't cinema, it's a moment in time. Regardless of what happens to Tony Jaa, no one can take this remarkable accomplisment away from him. Jaa leads the cast of this otherwise B-film as Ting, a young man who is honor bound with the task of retrieving the head of a sacred statue from the man who stole it. This task leads him to Bangkok, where he teams up with Dirty Balls (I can't even make this up), a former villager of where Ting comes from, and his friend Muay Lek. Just as I've said though, storyline is not important here, this is a spectacle. Tony Jaa displays physical abilities perhaps never before seen on screen, and does things not even stunt workers would be willing to do. Perhaps it's a dark mark on the Japanese film industry that performers are goated into doing all of their own stunts like this, but in this case we should be thankful it does happen. Ong-Bak is a movie worthy of viewing even if strickly to witness the birth of a star. Thumbs up.

Now that you mention it I remember the episode and remember his name being mentioned, but vaguely. What was his name and when did it happen? ←

Toronto. When Vince Carter won the Slam Dunk competition and the Leafs lost their game, it was the Leafs on the front cover of the newspaper. If the Leafs ever win a cup, they'll just stop reporting anything else. The fact that we continue to support our team so strongly despite the constant underperformance is proof that Toronto is the strongest hockey city in the world.

The reason the Democrats lost the election in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

No one actually. ←

What are these idiots afraid of? That Rock will rule, and Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal will look like asses by comparison? The Academy knows nothing about picking hosts, and the one year they get it right the "Family" groups are up in arms. Robin Williams was a co-host in the 80's; was there an outburst of vulgarity? Nope, he was a good boy, and Rock will be too. They're just afraid he'll say something that doesn't jive with their political views.

I remember seeing these movies weeks ago and wanting to say something about it on the board, but never getting the motivation: Hitch - *** (6.5/10) [Charming and inoffensive] Superman - ***1/2 (7/10) [Well acted first adaptation of the classic story.] Good Bye Lenin! - ***1/2 (7/10) [Pure charm and politically poignant.] Boogie Nights - **1/2 (5/10) [Paul Thomas Anderson is dull, and he doesn't know when to end a movie.] Freaky Friday - ***1/2 (7/10) [Charming cast, good laughs, very good movie.]

The question is whether the Weinsteins will be founding a new company or taking over at a pre-existing one. I find it odd that Kevin is delaying production on Clerks 2; if he's got a contract between View Askew and Miramax for a certain number of films, how is he going to back out?

This is actually one of two sit-com projects I think have promise. The other is called "Nobody's Watching", and is being developed by Bill Lawrence, Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, Lawrence being the Scrubs showrunner and Donovan and Goldman being the Emmy nominated writers behind most of Scrubs' best episodes.

UPDATE:

NO! I don't want to even think about seeing another BCR album. BCR is "emo" at its worst. ←

Sigur Ros - ( )

Absolutely. Willard reminds me of Keith from Survivor: Outback for some reason. ←

I like the older tribe, although I was quite happy to see that nutty woman get the boot quickly. Too bad about Jolanda getting the boot and Angie staying, but one tribe always impresses me with their infinite stupidity.

Are you talking about "Why Do You Love Me"? If so, it's alright. I don't know enough about Garbage to really compare it to their other material, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head Bjork - Medulla The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans

I'm looking forward to every one of them, but I suppose none more than The Goblet of Fire. These films are a major step forward in adventure cinema, and since I consider GOF the best book in the series thus far, I look forward to seeing what Mike Newell does with it.