A Kinder, Gentler Idol

Once there was Simon, Paula and Randy...and they fought and flirted and one-upped each other and made ridiculous fools of themselves all while trying to crown Americas favorite singer.  Then came Kara.  Simon, Paula, Randy and Kara was a lot of talking, and made all the shows go too long.  Then Ellen stopped by and made everyone chuckle a little...and now...now its almost 'A Whole New World'.  Cue the magic carpet.  Randy, Jennifer and Steven....well...its certainly a different dynamic. 

First - I love Aerosmith.  I do.  I know what Janie's got...I know what happens in an elevator and I know that Ben Affleck don't want to miss a thing.  I love me some J-Lo.  The Wedding Planner has got to be somewhere on my list of most delightful movie fluff...and hey, My Love Don't Cost A Thing either.  And, initially, I thought - this will be brilliant!  Idol will be brilliant!  Real artists!  And maybe at the start it was a little. (Yes, this does imply that I never thought Paula Abdul to be a real artist...though I maintain - I miss Kara and I thought she knew her stuff).  

After the first few long audition days, J-Lo seemed to be able to cut to the chase and get the weirdos and untalented on their way...and Steven, well Steven was just entertaining...everyone seemed to be waiting on the edge of their seats for the bleep machine to be required.  My early observations about the dynamic were how it all seemed more creative.  The audition rounds seemed to be less "crazy-psycho-get-on-TV-thrillseekers" and more "great story, good singers, watch how these famous musicians play nice with the contestants" - which for me is far more enjoyable.  First time in 10 seasons, I actually wanted to watch the early audition rounds.   I loved the way Steven and Jennifer would groove with the singers and get into it and sometime audibly sing along- it made the IDOL experience seem entirely more artistic.  Artists appreciating musical art.  I kind of liked it.  And, at first, at least - I really thought - that at the very least - Jennifer Lopez was somewhat discerning.  And though there wasn't a Simon among them.  Idol was still there and I liked it.   A kinder, gentler version emerged of Idols once bipolar craziness.

THEN - Vegas.  In Vegas, our superstar judges got to know the contestants, got to love them, had to make the more difficult decisions.  Jennifer Lopez had a teary breakdown at having to cut the contestant with one of this seasons most heart wrenching stories - but - the guy didn't sound great.  He just didn't - but because she knew the story - it was emotional.  This should have been the first indicator of what was to come.

As the weeks progress, far less judging is happening.  I thought for a time maybe they were just playing cheerleader roles - but now its just seeming ridiculous.  It doesn't help that for the first time ever, each song for each contestant is getting "produced" causing some of the sparkle of idol to vanish.  There is a certain magic in watching an amateur with an amazing voice figure it out.  Amateur is all out the window.  On the very first week - the singers had 'back up singers' and were releasing singles!  The year Ruben Studdard won (and I voted my heart out for Clay) - back up singers didn't show up until the finale.  Contestants were left to fend for themselves up until the end.  Now - each contestant is subjected to lots and lots of pre-preformance - music-industry - know-it-all-ness...and only the strongest and most self-defined contestants have dared waiver from those opinions.  It feels over-produced.  It just does.  OVER. PRODUCED.  Take a week off Jimmy Iovine!

I wonder if some of this was born from Adam Lambert.  Kris Allen may have been victorious but Adam Lambert changed Idol.  He was and wanted to be so innovative with his performances - lighting, costuming, staging - all his ideas - and they seemed authentic and not forced (still love his voice - and no comment on his post-Idol idiocy).  Now they are forcing the contestants to be performers from the start...expecting Adam Lambert - caliber performances - but it is all somebody elses creation - it feels so forced and the audience just isn't getting to experience the transformations - it is all happening behind the scenes.  Kudos to Casey and James for trying to do their own things - but really - whose idea was the pyrotechnic piano?

Back to the judges.   They just love everyone - its a sad day when the most discerning judge is name-dropping 'dawg' Randy!  Steven never says a mean thing - but at least the accolades he offers are interesting.  Probably my all time favorite Steven moment this season - was after James Durbin finished a great karoke version of Bon Jovi's "Its My Life" and Steven looked at him and said "don't go too "pop"-y on me"!   As Steven seemed to be extending an offer as mentor to his new protege in James.  Steven loves music and it is obvious - and he likes it and he wants to like it.  He gets into it...and it can be fun to watch -but he doesn't offer any kind of judgement.  Jennifer is emotionally involved.  She is trying to offer helpful critique, but she too often gets swept up in the emotion and offers that of an endearing fan, rather than a genuine popstars assist.  Randy is still Randy...with maybe a bit more responsibility.  It seems he senses the responsibility he has to make sure the "Simon" voice is still represented...at least it seemed that way at first - but by now - he's just same old Randy - king of the "dawg pound".

This kinder, gentler, undiscerning idol is really absent a critical voice.  And I think it is showing in the voting.  I'm happy they introduced the judges SAVE.  If for no other reason - than it gave me 2 more weeks of Matt Giraud - the first SAVE recipient.  And, I have to say, I was happy they SAVED Casey.  This competition would not be the same without the versatile Casey... but, they had to SAVE him, because I think America needs a Simon.  They need someone to help them wade through their own emotion - and get to the nitty gritty...they need someone to notice what isn't good - when it all seems so right.  And since there isn't any - the audience gets confused.  But, not too confused - on the most recent results show - all of the 'voted off' top 12 contestants did a horrific group number - that served to hi-light that Paul McDonald really can't carry a tune (but hey, emotional me - still crazy loves him!) and that really only Pia of that group is a stand out.  Too many words and wandering thoughts later - all I really need to say is: I miss Simon.  The Idol voting America needs a Simon.  Steven and J-Lo are fun...but a kinder, gentler idol also makes for a bit more of a boring idol too.

Alice reimagined

Ah, Alice in Wonderland, how you've grown.  One thing is for certain, this is not the Disney cartoon.

I saw this movie at an IMAX theater and in 3d.  So let me start by addressing the technical parts of 3d and the moster screen.  The visual imagry was very, very sharp.  It was quite impressive, actually.  The colors were crisp and vivid and the 3d was well used to provide depth to the picture.  But I have one small complaint.  It seems that directors feel it is a requirement to shove things at the screen when they have a 3d camera.  The sudden objects flying "right at you" without being part of the story - I really dislike that.  And there were a couple of times that Alice did this, and it's a shame they interrupted an otherwise enjoyable 3d experience..  It was the only part of the movie that felt forced in 3d.

Reviewing the movie starts and ends with Tim Burton.  His unique visual style is very much at the forefront of this movie.  From the Red Queen's (Helena Bonham Carter) oversized head, to the Mad Hatter's (Johnny Depp) outfit, makeup and changing eyes, to the White Queen's (Anne Hathaway) odd behavior and dark makeup - this movie carries Tim Burton's stamp of strangeness through and through.  Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I am not necessarily a fan of that look/feel, but I honestly felt it worked in this movie.  The settings vary from bright (the garden in the real world, the White Queen's castle) to dark (Red Queen's castle and the chessboard) and uses color and light very effectively to convey mood.  Color is also used with the Mad Hatter - his eyes change color as his mood swings.

The acting is the movie was superb.  Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter put in their usual great character work.  Anne Hathaway puts a very interesting spin on the White Queen - it bothered me, but it was well acted.  My favorite, however, was relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska in the titular role.  I was very impressed with her.  She carried a screen presence that really worked for me.

Overall, this movie is one I would (and have!) recommend to anybody.  I saw it with a group of friends on a Saturday, and liked it enough to take my four children the next Monday.  My youngest is almost 6, and she loved the movie.  There were certainly parts that were scary (the Jabberwocky, comes to mind) for her, but she enjoyed it anyway.  My almost-13 year old daughter said it was one of her favorite movies of all time.  And it certainly was one of my favorite Tim Burton movies.

Oscar: The Groundhog?: Award Show Fever

First - It's Groundhog Day!  Second - Its Oscar Nod day!  Or wait - First - Oscar, Second - Groundhog? Such a weird pairing to have Oscar Nominations and Punxsutawney Phil vying for "center stage" so early this morning.  But, they did - and who won out at my house? Academy President Tom Sherak and Ann Hathaway making announcements at 6:38am this morning - thats who.  And there weren't that many surprises - and I love surprises. 

My biggest disappointments were in omissions.  Emily Blunt - in Young Victoria - I so wanted her to get a nod - and while Sandra, Meryl, Gabby and Helen seemed locked in for the category - there was a fifth "open" slot (though I may be the only one who thought it was open) that went to Carey Mulligan in An Education.  Maybe I'll feel differently when I actually see An Education, but Emily Blunt made my movie going experience with Young Victoria - so great - I really had hopes for her.  Also - I REALLY wanted Star Trek to make into the 10 nominee Best Picture category - no luck.  And I thought it would have been funny if The Hangover would have made it - but of course - I know that the Academy rarely has a sense of humor.  How could 500 Days of Summer not be nominated for Original Screenplay?  , 500 is nothing but originality.  That one is a major bummer. And... I would have loved, loved, loved if Robert Downey, Jr had won a nomination for Sherlock Holmes... his Golden Globes win for this still makes me giggle.  I absolutely adore him.

On to the actual nominations list - only a few mild surprises and one regular sized surprise.  First, Maggie Gyllenhaal's nod for Crazy Heart was a regular sized surprise.  Largely overlooked this award season - it seems Jeff Bridges did have some help in this little movie.  Penelope Cruz in Nine is a smaller surprise as this movie does not have critical or box office success behind it - but the Academy just loves her...so its not that shocking.  I would say Matt Damon and Woody Harrelson weren't sure things but their names were certainly on the short lists. 

A few fun observations:

Up is up for Best Animated Feature and Best Film - I'm surprised this is allowed.  If Up is really good enough to be a Best Picture nominee doesn't that automatically make it the Best Animated Feature?  I guess it will be interesting if it doesn't win Animated Feature.  And its up for original screenplay.  Nice.

Speaking of Best Animated Feature - What is "The Secret of Kells"?  And why was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs not on this list...if just to hear it announced at the Oscars.

First year with 10 nominations for Best Film since 1943.  From 1931 to 1943 there were 8 to 12 best-picture nominees.  There were 10 in 1943 when Casablanca won, but then it switched to 5 until this year.  Will it change the outcome, I wonder?  Or will it just make the nomination list longer - so 5 more films can put 2009 Best Picture Nominee on their DVD Jacket?

Meryl Streep continues to reign as the most nominated actor in Oscar history.  Increasing her tally to 16 nods, she is gaining a significant lead over Kathryn Hepburn and Jack Nicolson (both at 12).  Its a wonder she only has 2 trophies - 1 lead (Sophies Choice)and 1 supporting (Kramer vs Kramer).  Steep did just break the record for most best actress nominations - now at 13.  (All 12 of Hepburns were Best Actress).  Hepburn is still the most honored - with 4 trophies (Morning Glory in 1933, .Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, 1967, The Lion in Winter, 1968, On Golden Pond, 1981) Nicolson ( ("As Good as It Gets," 1997; "Terms of Endearment," 1983; "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975), Ingrid Bergman ( Murder on the Orient Express," 1974; "Anastasia," 1956; "Gaslight," 1944) and Walter Brennan (The Westerner," 1940; "Kentucky," 1938; "Come and Get It," 1936) are tied for 2nd with 3 triumphs a piece.

Razzie Award Nominations for the Worst in Film were released 2 days ago.  Sandra Bullock leads the Razzies and the Oscars (with her first nomination - really first?) in the same year.  She really has had a big year...2 big box office successes, The Proposal and The Blind Side, Golden Globe and SAG trophies and appearing in one of the worst films I have ever paid to see, All About Steve.  I think its an interesting dichotomy...and while the Razzies do not have the critical acclaim or respect of the Oscars - and really don't deserve to be in same paragraph with the Oscars... it is still a feat never before achieved.  Sandra Bullock could win a Razzie for the Worst Actress of 2009 and then the next day win an Oscar for the Best Actress of 2009 (and she will win that Oscar - that one is locked up).   I mostly just think its really funny. 

Kathryn Bigelow is now only the 4th woman in Oscar history nominated as Best Director (Lina Wertmüller for 1976's Seven Beauties, Jane Campion for 1993's The Piano, Sofia Coppola for 2003's Lost in Translation) - and may be the first ever to win.  After besting her former husband (Bigelow and Cameron were married from 89-91) James Cameron at the Directors Guild Awards in a bit of a surprise win - she is now the favorite to win for The Hurt Locker.  But, you never know - Avatar is surprising everyone - and James Cameron is still the King of the World.  I'll have a firmer opinion of this once I see Avatar.  Am I the ONLY one left who hasn't seen it?  I liked The Hurt Locker - it looks and feels different than any other movie I saw from 2009 - and is an apparently fairly accurate telling of modern day war - it was interesting and quiet and haunting. 

A note about this awards show season - it seems the last few years have each had a couple of events that were too close together.  Last year the Golden Globes and Oscar nominations were hours apart.  This year, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards were 6 days apart.  Both televised - the SAG Awards, the unfortunate 2nd of the 2, felt like deja vu.  The winners score cards were almost identical for the acting categories...it felt like TV repeat week as we saw the same actors in different attire - giving 2nd acceptance speeches.  There were a few exceptions to the winners tally - Tina Fey won a SAG - Toni Collette won the Globe.  Inglorious Basterds cast won the SAG - Avatar and The Hangover won the Best Picture Globes. But, still it just felt so overdone being so close together.  If not for the Achievement award given to the lively Betty White - the SAGs would have been entirely uneventful.  Spread these things out - please!  All the award shows deserve their due!

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin co-host the Oscars on March 7th.  What fun!  Steve Martin has done it solo - and I enjoyed it...but I think this pairing is brilliant! After starring together in Its Complicated (a film noteworthy only for  the remarkable performances of its players - Baldwin, Martin - Meryl Streep and John Krazinski) the only way I would have expected to see them together again would be on an All-Star SNL tribute.   I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

Full nominations below
Bold - my pick to win
Italics - if I were an Academy voter and could vote in EVERY category...I would vote for...


Best Picture


'Avatar'

'The Blind Side'

'District 9'

'An Education'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious'

'A Serious Man'

'Up'

'Up in the Air'



Best Director

James Cameron, 'Avatar'

Kathryn Bigelow, 'The Hurt Locker'

Quentin Tarantino, 'Inglourious Basterds'

Lee Daniels, 'Precious'

Jason Reitman, 'Up in the Air'



Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, 'Crazy Heart'

George Clooney, 'Up in the Air'

Colin Firth, 'A Single Man'

Morgan Freeman, 'Invictus'

Jeremy Renner, 'The Hurt Locker'



Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, 'The Blind Side'

Helen Mirren, 'The Last Station'

Carey Mulligan, 'An Education'

Gabourey Sidibe, 'Precious'

Meryl Streep, 'Julie & Julia'



Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, 'Invictus'

Woody Harrelson, 'The Messenger'

Christopher Plummer, 'The Last Station'

Stanley Tucci, 'The Lovely Bones'

Christoph Waltz, 'Inglourious Basterds'



Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz, 'Nine'

Vera Farmiga, 'Up in the Air'

Maggie Gyllenhaal, 'Crazy Heart'

Anna Kendrick, 'Up in the Air'

Mo'nique, 'Precious'



Best Animated Feature Film

'Coraline'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Princess and the Frog'

'The Secret of Kells'

'Up'



Best Foreign Film

Israel - 'Ajami'

Argentina - 'El Secreto de sus Ojos'

Peru - 'The Milk of Sorrow'

France - 'Un Prophete'

Germany - 'The White Ribbon'



Best Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, 'The Hurt Locker'

Quentin Tarantino, 'Inglourious Basterds'

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, 'The Messenger'

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 'A Serious Man'

Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy, 'Up'



Best Adapted Screenplay

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, 'District 9'

Nick Hornby, 'An Education'

Jesse Armstron, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, 'In the Loop'

Geoffrey Fletcher, 'Precious'

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, 'Up in the Air'



Best Documentary Feature

'Burma VJ'

'The Cove'

'Food, Inc.'

'The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers'

'Which Way Home'



Best Original Score

'Avatar'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Sherlock Holmes'

'Up'



Best Original Song

'Almost There' from 'The Princess and the Frog,' Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

'Down in New Orleans' from 'The Princess and the Frog,' Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

'Loin de Paname' from 'Paris 36,' Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

'Take It All' from 'Nine,' Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

'The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)' from 'Crazy Heart,' Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett



Best Film Editing

'Avatar'

'District 9'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious'



Best Cinematography

'Avatar'

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'The White Ribbon'



Best Costume Design

'Bright Star'

'Coco Before Chanel'

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

'Nine'

'The Young Victoria'

And if anyone cares.... Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and we've got 6 more weeks of winter folks.  Mostly, though. on this Groundhog day - I think Phils spotlight was stolen by Oscar...

Sorry Phil!

Daybreakers - More emo vampires?

After watching the previews for Daybreakers, I wasn't expecting anything special from this movie.  And that's good, because I certainly didn't get anything special.  I liked the idea of the movie - a world where vampires are the norm, and humans have been hunted to near extinction.  It did a good job of giving us that world - from commercials to the subwalk (to walk around during the day) to car conversions for daytime driving (totally blackened windows and cameras to see where you are going), it sold that well.  But after thinking about this movie, I was left with one pressing question.

Why the heck are all the vampires today little whiney crybabies?

But aside from that question, the move was exactly as advertised.  I'm a huge Ethan Hawke fan.  I'm not a fan of Sam Neill.  Willem Dafoe can go either way for me.  I like vampire and "ruined earth" movies.  But the movie just didn't seem to come together very well.  It went very slowly through unimportant parts, lingering on details and plot devices that didn't go anywyere - and then it would fly through the important parts, passing on any real character or main plot development.  Seemed a bit disjointed.

The bottom line - the movie was pretty much what was advertised.  They never advertised coherency, and the movie suffered for its lack.  But it was passably entertaining.

Unmet Expectations: Alvin and the Morgans

When I saw the preview for Did you hear about the Morgans?, I had high hopes.  Not only did I laugh hysterically at Sarah Jessica Parker running after her horse screaming "I'm not on my horse!", I thought this was another perfect packaging for Hugh Grant - to do what Hugh Grant does best - bumbling romantic comedy.  And while, yes he did fill the role of bumbling male lead, something was so off in this film.  Sarah Jessica Parker often confounds me.  She is forever Carrie Bradshaw, and often through this movie, I found myself noting that she was trying to speak and act differently than Carrie - on purpose.  Carrie must be so much her - that she has to make effort to act like someone else.  Needless to say, she seems strained and awkward.  There are far too many uncomfortable scenes - that perhaps were meant to be uncomfortable, to express the strained relationship between the Meryl and Paul Morgan characters.  Yes, Parker's name in the film is Meryl!  Ick.  Meryl Streep aside (somehow this name works for her and her extraordinary talent) - the name Meryl is a horrible name for women (my apologies to all the female Meryls out there) - it served to be actually a distracting point in the plot.  That coupled with a distracting hair color and styling on Parker - and I could not sink into the movie at all.  I was forever outside of it - merely sitting in a theater, watching 2 Hollywood movie stars make a go of a lame script - floundering incessantly.  With  turns from great supporting castmates, Mary Steenburgen, Sam Elliot (Oh, how I love him!) Elisabeth Moss and Wilford Brimley - it just didn't work.  Even that hilarious scene from the trailer that I loved,  fell flat.  My hope was for some enjoyable light movie fare, but instead got a heavy amount of movie ick. 

I volunteered to take my niece to a "kids show" while the other adults in my family went to see The Blind Side  - a movie I had already seen, and thoroughly enjoyed (review another day).    So, I ventured out to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel - 4 year old in tow - with virtually no expections.  I wasn't exactly dreading the movie - but I wasn't thinking I would enjoy it either.  First, I should admit - I love Jason Lee.  From Mallrats and Chasing Amy to Almost Famous to the baddie in The Incredibles to Earl - I just love him.  It takes a lot for me to Not enjoy him - even in the worst of films (A Guy Thing - anyone?)  So, at least I would have that.  I was a little disappointed when I realized at the beginning of the film - that he as the Chipmunk "dad" would be "laid up" for most of the film and not in much of it.  Imagine my joyous surprise to discover, none other than Zachery Levi (NBCs Chuck) filling in.  (I love him - more than Jason Lee - even).  And the surprises continued - as I ended up really liking this flick.  The introduction of the Chipettes is fun, the Chipmunk-ified versions of Hot n Cold, Put Your Records on and I Gotta Feelin - are hip, current and fun.  Overall, the music is great.  David Cross - funny and perfect as the bad guy - made it all palatable.   My only distraction throughout was my agonizing attempt to identify who was voicing Simon, the pronounciations and inflections of the voice were so familiar!  It wasn't until I searched the credits at the end, that I was appeased.  Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid of  CBS's Criminal Minds) was the culprit, and is perfect as brainiac Simon.  None of the other big name voices were identifiable in their Chipmunk versions.  I love Justin Long and Anna Faris and Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler and Jesse McCartney - but I didn't know it was them behind the high pitched squeaks. Wendie Malik is hilarious as the Chipmunk obsessed principal - and I'm always happy to see Kathryn Joosten  pop up anywhere(she will always be Mrs. Landingham to me). In the end, for me and for the 4 year old next to me - it all really worked.  It was a fun movie experience - the kind of light movie fare I was hoping for on a busy Christmas Eve. 

So if you have a choice between Alvin and the Morgans, surprisingly - I say go with Alvin.

Staring at farm animals

The Men Who Stare at Goats was a movie that had all the right elements for me to like.  One actor I'm a pretty big fan of (George Clooney), an actor I'm a HUGE fan of (Ewan McGregor), a supporting cast with actors I like (Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges) and Stephen Root.  Add to that a teaser trailer and preview that I totally liked (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SreufFevUSw) and I was not going to miss this movie.  And I was not disappointed.

The story of a reporter trying to prove himself to his ex-wife and an ex-soldier's quest for personal redemption was certainly quirky.  And like a lot of quirky movies, I can see where this movie may not "click" with everybody.  But I think it has fairly high appeal.  I saw this movie on a date, and we both laughed throughout the movie.  The humor is blatent at times and subtle at times - just the way I like it - and includes occasional scenes of ridiculousness that are sure to draw a laugh.  One highlight is two security companies in Iraq engaging in small arms combat...with each other.  Nothing wrong with a little social commentary.

Ewan McGregor voices over a large portion of the movie, narrating the story.  I'm not a huge fan of this method, but it fit the feel of the movie.  His role as the reporter that stumbles on a psychic soldier program is played to perfection, with plenty of enthusiasm.  George Clooney didn't "wow" me as much as I expected as a former soldier, his role involved quite a bit of doing nothing.  Don't miss him dressed as a hippy soldier though - the long hair and sideburns were hilarious.  And Jeff Bridges was simply fantastic as the mastermind of the psychic soldier program.

As is becoming all too normal, my major complaint is that the preview gives away two of the funniest moments of the movie.  This is a trend I think REALLY needs to stop.  I know that it can be hard to sell a movie without using top scenes, but I always feel a little ripped off when the movie spends 10 minutes setting up a scene that I've already seen 20 times in previews.  And if you figure out the 10 minutes of build up is going to end with that already spoiled punchline, it can make that 10 minutes very boring.  I'd even go so far as to say that in some movies it can interrupt the flow, which is an unfair thing to do to a good movie.  The best compliment I can give this particular movie is that even with some top moments spoiled in advance, I still laughed at the spectacular execution of those moments.

Overall I liked this movie.  I went in expecting a funny and well-acted movie and that's exactly what I got.  I laughed and walked away smiling, and that's worth my ten bucks.

A Glee-ful Fall

I've tried out several of the new Fall Offerings and I must say...I've found a few winners.  Loving new half hour comedies: Modern Family, Cougar Town and Community.  Enjoying girly, witchy drama Eastwick.  And absolutely LOVING The Good Wife (Carol Hathaway, Logan Huntzberger AND Dan Rydell?  TV Vets should unite more often!) But, the champion of the fall is by far Glee.  Glee is  my favorite new offering by any network for the past several seasons. 
The music!  The music!  The music!  Where else can you hear great renditions of Kanye's Goldigger, Salt n Pepas Push It, Queen's Somebody to Love, Journey's Don't Stop Believing, Rhianna's Take a Bow, Celine Dion's Taking Chances...and this week a pair of pretty excellent Mash Ups - Its My Life/Confessions and Halo/Walking on Sunshine.  Each week, I look forward to the music...far more so than the actual story...but, the story is genuinely quirky and funny.  Sometimes over-the-top, this band of amazingly talented mis-fits are loveable and weird all at once.
Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison are stand outs as the uber-talented, over achieving diva-dork, Rachel Berry (insert Gold Star here) and the high school Glee champ turned Glee Director Mr. Shuester, respectively.  Lea Michele was in Duncan Shieks Spring Awakening on Broadway, which just gave her mad props in book...so she is obviously a singer, dancer - but - she is truly incredible.  I can't believe I get to hear her sing each week for free.  Matthew Morrison is from Broadway too - Tony nominated for A Light in the Piazza  - he's got a great voice - great moves and somehow makes it plausible that Mr. Shue could be so alarmingly in the dark about his own certifiably insane wife.  They aren't the only ones.  Amber Riley (this girls got pipes!), Kevin McHale and Chris Colfer  pretty regularly impress.  Jane Lynch brings the funny as the arch-nemesis of the Glee Club, the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester.  Her dead pan delivery  and the characters generally offensive haughtiness make the storylines and quirkiness both funny and believable. And, hey  - Josh Groban has already done a hilarious cameo and Tony (and now) Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth has guest starred and performed with the Glee club. 

Its obvious I love it when I'm checking I Tunes to see if I can download the latest performances.  And happily, I can - and the show even releases full versions of the songs featured on the show - which just makes me love the show even more.  I am officially in love with this one. Yes, it has been a Glee-ful Fall and I'm looking forward to a Glee-ful Winter.