In Film: Get Him to the Greek

 

Judd Apatow strikes again, just not as hot.  "Get Him to the Greek" is a half spin-off from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (which was absolutely a great movie, by the way).  Russell Brand is hillarious, Jonah Hill is bumbling, and P. Diddy is surprisingly great!  The whole story is that Jonah Hill, an aspiring music mogul, is trying to get a washed up, drug addicted rock star to the Greek Theater in L.A. for a comeback concert.

The Good: The comedy, of course!  Judd Apatow has a great comedic eye.  P. Diddy's character is amazing, always trying to "Mind-Fuck" people.

The Bad:  I lost attention a few times, due to lulls in the story/action.

The Ugly:  WTF happened to Jonah Hill?!?  I thought he was fat before, but he was kinda funny at least...in this movie, he didn't play a funny part, and he was even fatter!!! Ugh!!

Synopsis:  Rent it, watch it with a bunch of friends or if you just need a good laugh.  If you're a huge fan of the Judd Apatow movies, then go ahead and buy, but don't buy if you just want to own a funny movie.

★★★☆☆

In Film: Kick Ass

This movie does exactly what the title says...Kick Ass!  It's all about some kids who decide to be superheroes and try to do good, but are only human after all.

The Good:  Hit Girl!  This little girl packs a serious punch.  The action in HD is a must!

The Bad:  Quite a few of the bonus features on the Blu-Ray Disc didn't even work, but it may have just been a fluke.

The Ugly:  Why does Nic Cage get to be in movies? Ever?!?

Synopsis:  A must-see in High Def! Even if you have to pay to rent it.  I may not buy it, but definitely watch it!

★★★☆☆

In Film: W.

I know what you're thinking...a movie about good ol' G.W.?!?  But in all honesty, it was a really good movie!  It kind of made you feel sorry for the guy.  He's just a simple country boy who wanted to be president, made it on the coattails of his father, and was told what to do the whole time he was in office.  As far as the movie goes, the acting was absolutely phenomenal!  Josh Brolin as G.W., Elizabeth Banks as Laura, James Cromwell as George Sr. and Ellen Burstyn as Barbara.  And that's just the Bush family!  His cabinet was chock full of fantastic actors too!  Overall, Oliver Stone did the story justice, and I would recommend the film to anyone who likes biographical or political movies.

The Good:  Top thing about this movie is absolutely the acting, Josh Brolin nails G.W. and so do the rest of the cast.

The Bad:  It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm personally not really into politics, so the political talk did get a bit tiresome.

The Ugly:  The one fault I found with this movie were some fantasy cut scenes throughout the movie where G.W. was in a baseball field and he would either catch the ball or not see it at all.  I understand the symbolism, but it seemed very out of place.

Synopsis:  If you're just looking to watch a good movie, rent it.  If you're a Bush fan, biographical film fan or political fan, then you may want to own this movie.

★★★☆☆

In Music: Sheryl Crow - Stop

Sheryl Crow is out with a new album, and thankfully, takes a more bluesy approach.  I guess I should start by saying I've never really been much of a fan.  I'll bop my head along to one of her poppy songs on the radio from time to time, but have never owned an album.  To be diplomatic, I decided to get this new album and give it a whirl.  I'm actually pleasantly surprised!  There are still a few of those pop crap tunes that she'll no doubt toss on the airwaves and shovel down radio listeners throats, but the majority of the songs are more soulful and definitely inspired by the south.  My favorite song on the album so far is "Stop."  Take a listen below!

Song: Stop

Artist: Sheryl Crow

Album: 100 Miles From Memphis

Writer: Sheryl Crow

Label: A&M

 

★★★☆☆

In Film: Sherlock Holmes

This movie has been sitting in the netflix red envelope on my entertainment center for two months.  Granted, my life has been pretty damn hectic lately, but I was never "in the mood" to watch it.  I finally had enough and forced myself to watch it.  In my opinion, it's a fairly good movie.  The action is fun, the acting is good, and the sets, while highly stylized and unrealistic, are visually stunning.  There were a few problems I had with the movie.  The first problem was that the character of Sherlock Holmes was turned into an alcoholic fighting machine.  Anyone who's a fan of the actual series may find this new Holmes a bit too superhero-like.  I understand why the movie did this, but ultimately feel that the character veers too far from the books.  The biggest problem I had with the movie also relates to the books.  When reading a sherlock holmes book, part of the fun is trying to figure out the mysteries on your own before the big reveal.  In the film, however, you would have to be Miss Cleo to see any of the far fetched and completely out there results.  On a final note, there's a large amount of homoerotic subtext between Holmes and Watson which in my opinion actually does add some depth to the characters.  Who would have guessed, Holmes and Watson, the original "Bromance!"

The Good:  The sets, the acting and the action scenes are fun and keep you enthralled throughout the movie.

The Bad:  Holmes' character veers too far from the books, and ultimately is an alcoholic, everyman superhero.

The Ugly:  The solutions to the mysteries are so far fetched that it doesn't allow the viewer to even come close to the outcome on their own.

The Synopsis:  Rent it, on blu-ray.  It is visually stunning, but there's no need to watch it more than once.

★★★☆☆

In Music: Chromeo - Don't Turn The Lights On

Chromeo's new single, "Don't Turn The Lights On," is out and as usual, the video is strange and entertaining all at the same time.  The song has a very retro feel and is classic Chromeo.  Enjoy!

★★★☆☆

In Music: Christina Aguilera - You Lost Me

The video is pretty boring for such a powerful song.  I don't really get it.  She looks pretty good, but the effects seem out of place to me.  The song itself I love, but then again, Sia wrote it.  I gave a higher rating on this because of the song itself, not the video.

★★★☆☆

In Music: Brandon Flowers - Crossfire

So Brandon Flowers of "The Killers" has gone solo with his first single, "Crossfire."  I actually really like it, and if this is the direction he's going, he may have a shot.  Not only is the song great, but the video is amazing.  It's a bunch of scenes of him tied up, sweaty and beat up and Charlize Theron comes in and rescues him by kickin' some ass.  It doesn't hurt that Brandon is sexy as hell by the way.  Overall, a great first solo song/video!

★★★☆☆

In Games: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011 for PS3

The newest release in the Tiger Woods franchise is a mixed bag of improvements and drawbacks.  Some of my favorite things about the series have gone missing in 2011.  For instance, one of the parts of the game that was the most fun was getting sponsored and earning money by wearing your sponsor's gear.  Not only is this gone, but so is the money!  You now use XP for gear, animations AND your skill upgrades.  That's a lot of crap to use XP on and you probably won't ever be able to afford the animations you want without sacrificing your game play.  Another great thing about this franchise that fell short with this release is the ability to create your own characters and have them look like you.  The "Photo Gameface" lets you upload pictures, takes about 20 minutes and then ends up looking nothing like you.  The standard gameface lacks a lot of customization ability.  Overall, the graphics should have come along much further and have not progressed as much as they should have from the last version of the game.

Although there are a few negatives, the game play itself is actually true to the franchise and in fact is really fun to play, even though I get so frustrated I want to hurl my six-axis through the TV!  In 2011 EA Sports has implemented True Aim which makes the game feel much more accurate and allows you to play the whole thing from the first person angle.  The power boost and ball spin are still here, but now require Focus, which you build by not using any power ups and make the game better knowing you have to use this strategically.  The putting is similar, but EXTREMELY touchy and probably one of the most frustrating and rewarding parts of the game.  In golf they say that putting is 3/4 of your game, and that holds true in this game as well.  Probably the best feature of this game is Online play which allows you to play multi player and match games online and build teams with friends or random players.  Honestly, I haven't done this yet because I'm still building my stats, but from what I hear it is awesome and I can't wait!

So overall, there are some drawbacks, but the fun of the series lives on even in 2011!

★★★☆☆

In Film: The Devil's Backbone

Guillermo Del Toro has done it again!  Another scary yet intrepid film.  "El Espinazo del diablo" or, "The Devil's Backbone," is set at the end of the Spanish Revolution.  Tensions are still high between the rebellion and the socialist sect.  The story takes place at a boys orphanage and asks the question, "What is a ghost?"  The question itself is poignant and thought-provoking, and throughout the film, there are many answers.  Aside from the philosophical agenda of the movie, there lies a ghost story.  Overall, I would highly recommend this movie.  I still prefer "The Orphanage," but this film is great as well.  I think I'm becoming quite the Guillermo Del Toro fanatic!

The Good:  The plot and story are beautifully crafted to make you think, question and ultimately understand.  All things are answered and come full circle, which is something that I love when a movie ends.  I hate having more questions than answers when the credit rolls!

The Bad:  Although the cinematography is amazing, the sets and captures aren't as thrilling as I've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro's films.

The Ugly:  Nothing really stuck out as awful in this film.

Synopsis:  Watch this movie! Especially if you're in the mood for a good scary movie, but also want to think a little bit!

★★★☆☆

In Music: Fantasia - Bittersweet

Fantasia is back!  This is the Fantasia we all grew to love from American Idol.  After all the hardships and drama she's gone through in the past few years, it looks like she's on track again.  Go 'head girl!

★★★☆☆

In Music: VV Brown - Shark in the Water

VV Brown is a singer, songwriter and producer from England who has become one of the artists to watch for in 2010.  It's just been released that she is opening for Pink's new tour.  VV has one of those throwback voices like Amy Winehouse and Duffy, but her style is eclectic and more indie-pop which she likes to say is "Musical Mashed Potatoes".  This song is her third and highest ranking single.  It's catchy, it's fun and I can't help but get it stuck in my head for days at a time.

Artist: VV Brown

Song: Shark in the Water

Album: Travelling Like the Light

Writer: VV Brown, Tommy Tysper, Marcus Sepehrmanesh

Label: Island Records

★★★☆☆

In Music: Selah Sue - Raggamuffin

It's Wednesday, Hump-Day, and I'm in a middle of the week funk.  Nothing releases the stress like a little Reggae, especially from the most unlikely of artists.  So I'm dedicating today's posts to "Whitey Wednesday Reggae" starting with Selah Sue.  This tiny little white girl is tearing up the reggae scene lately and will definitely surprise you!

 

Artist: Selah Sue

Song: Ragamuffin

Album: Black Part Love

Writer: Selah Sue

★★★☆☆

In Games: Dante's Inferno for PS3

From the second you start playing this game, it's non-stop blood, guts, gore and your trusty scythe.  The levels are dark and morbid, but beautifully crafted to represent the circles of hell.  If you don't know the story of Dante, he was a warrior for the crusade whose sins cost him his beloved beatrice to the devil.  Now he has to fight his way through the circles of hell to save her.  My first qualm with this game are that it can almost be too easy.  I beat the game in just four days.  The replay value, however, is fairly decent, as you can start at the beginning but keep all your talents you've learned and keep leveling up more to become god-like.  Until recently, I had never played the "God of War" series.  After playing "God of War III," I realized that "Dante's Inferno" is a poor man's version at best.  Still, the game is fun to play, and if you don't compare the two side by side, it's definitely worth at least a rental from gamefly.

★★★☆☆

In Film: Prince of Persia

The Good: If you've ever played Prince of Persia, you will pick up on some subtle game references throughout the movie in the form of action sequences, camera movements and characters.  Jake Gylenhaal does a great job as the Orphan Prince in both appearance and attitude.  The rest of the casting was pretty brilliant.  The fight scenes are fast-paced and visually stunning.

The Bad: If you're an avid Prince of Persia player, then the first thing you're going to notice is the change in story line.  This may really irk some people as the plot is EXTREMELY far from the game.

The Ugly: Be careful not to throw a stone in Persia, you may knock a hole in the cardboard mountains and buildings.

Synopsis:  This movie is worth a watch in either a theater or as just a rental.  If you're a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, this movie is right up your alley, if you're a Prince of Persia fan, be prepared to be a little disappointed.

★★★☆☆