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Hung: The Complete First Season (3 out of 5 stars)
Warner/ June 22, 2010
Oh man, was this a promising show. The first three episodes are gold. The premise is this middle-aged dad who is totally broke and in desperate need of some cash decides to cash in on his best asset—he’s ahem…hung. So he becomes a gigolo. The former hero of his high school, he married the local beauty queen and played some pro ball once upon a time, but things took a turn somewhere along the way to mid-life. And now he has a pimp—a mousy poet. A great concept.
But then things fall apart. By about episode five, I was bored. Really and truly bored. And considering there are only 10 episodes, that’s not that good. It’s all a little misogynistic for me, really. All about men and sex and penis size… becomes a snore. It’s a shame because they had a great idea and Anne Heche is beautifully cast as his frazzly ex-wife as is the girl from Frasier as his pimp, Tanya. But there just wasn’t enough here to keep me interested. Rent it. |
 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (4 out of 5 stars)
Fox/ June 29, 2010
I taught grade 9 this past year and one of the units we do is mythology. My students were dying to see this movie. But we had some behaviour issues so a field trip just wasn’t happening for them at the time. A few months later things turned around and we went to go see Clash of the Titans. Man, to quote Pretty Woman…big mistake, huge.
I watched Percy when the screener arrived and realized how much better it would have been for my little niners. For starters, it actually stays fairly true to the myths. The acting is solid and so are the special effects. Yes, it’s a little kiddie and I was bored at times but I think grade nines still would have gotten quite a kick out of it.
It’s kind of Harry Potter-ish. Percy Jackson finds out he’s Zeus’s son and has to find a magic lightning bolt or war will break out. He enlists the help of a Satyr and Athena’s daughter and they set off on a quest. It’s fun, people. Good, clean, fun. It’s a refreshing change from some of the crap they’re selling the wee ones lately. I highly recommend the book series and this movie and look forward to showing to my niners next year. |
 She’s Out of My League (3 out of 5 stars)
Paramount/ June 22, 2010
Ummm…not the movie I was expecting. I pictured a guy comedy—a la Superbad, or The Hangover. I got…a romantic comedy? Pleasant surprise for me, not so much the hubby.
Molly and Kirk get the best of Pittsburgh, and then some, in this raunchy-sweet romantic comedy, to the point where you'd swear the city's Chamber of Commerce co-directed.
Airport TSA agent Kirk (Jay Baruchel), who's no better than a "5" or "6," scores with Molly, a "hard 10" (Alice Eve), much to the amazement of their friends and families (and by the way, I would give Baruchel a 7 and Eve a 9, making them totally plausible a s a couple).The film has lots of goofy charm and plenty of awkward laughs, courtesy of Mr. Baruchel and his buddies, but gets pretty ridiculous down the stretch.
Still, it's a must-see for folks who enjoy gazing at hard-10s (Ms. Eve is right there). There's no making-of feature, so the only extra on that DVD that deals with the city is the commentary by British director Jay Field Smith. He talks about how they shot at an actual Penguins-Islanders game (because he hates movies with fake sports events) and why they turned Market Square into a European-style bistro row ("Sometimes you find the perfect location, sometimes you just have to create it").
He also describes how the "upscale and classy" Warhol subbed for what was going to be a nightclub scene. "We projected the word 'Warhol' onto the walls," he says, "just for stupid people" who wouldn't know where they were. Hmmm…offensive?
It’s cute, it made me giggle and it co-stars Kristen Ritter who I adore! It’s a rental. |
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 7 (5 out of 5 stars)
Warner/ June 8, 2010
Oh Larry David, you crack me up. Which is weird because I never found Seinfeld funny… Anywho, he reunites his classic sitcoms pals in a really brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny storyline. He also tries to woo back his ex (Cheryl Hines). I enjoyed every episode of this. Endless amusement.
Nip/ Tuck: The 6th and Final Season
Warner/ June 8, 2010
Seriously overlooked during every awards season, this drama about two plastic surgeons went out with an emotional bang. Stars Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon really should have received some Emmy love this year. The acting is stellar as they wrap up their crazy-intense friendship, family probs and business for-eva.
Hot Tub Time Machine (3 out of 5 stars)
MGM/ June 29, 2010
Oh so silly. Oh so funny but oh so stupid. Friends dam (John Cusack) and Nick (Craig Robinson) take their buddy Lou (Rob Corddry) to the ski resort where they partied in the '80s. Lou is feeling suicidal and they think this might perk him up.
They jump inot a Jacuzzi and end up transported to 1986! The big hair! The legwarmers! The makeup! Reagan! So it’s not exactly realistic but that’s not the point. The guys party it up with sex and drugs and a whole lot of vomit jokes—my least favourite after poop jokes. This is no Hangover. It kept me entertained but feeling like I was losing brain cells by the minute.
Shutter Island (4 out of 5 stars)
Warner/ June 8, 2010
This is a moody one but it does star my ever-long crush, Leo DiCaprio. It’s actually Martin Scorcese’s fourth pairing with him. He stars as a US Marshal who is investigating a prison for crazies while dealing with his own issues because of the death of his wife (Michelle Williams).
There is a ton of talk here and not much action. But still the story, score and cinematography make it an pretty interesting film. DiCaprio is awesome and for me, held the entire movie together. I have to admit though, I was bored on more than one occasion. Rental. |
 Invictus (4 out of 5 stars)
Warner Bros/ May 18, 2010
I am so late to this party. I realize this movie came out over a month ago. It was one of those releases that arrived at my door and I had all great intentions to watch it as I’d heard it was so good but then other movies begged for sooner watching (Hot Tub Time Machine anyone?) and so it all went by the wayside until last night.
And it’s so good! And so freaking educational. But not in an annoying way. I really am cluless about apartheid in South Africa and this movie managed to teach me about some aspects while keeping the tone fairly light ( a huge feat).
It begins in 1990, with Mandela's release after 27 years in prison, into a country that, we're told, "appears to be on the verge of a civil war." The opening scenes briskly and efficiently zip through his journey from freedom to the South African presidency, and the challenges that face him as he looks upon a country that is clearly split in two. Powerful elements in his own party propose to effectively dismantle the Springboks, the South African national rugby union team that they have spent their lives rooting against, feeling the team is representative of years of oppression. Mandela, however, sees this as a fatal political calculation that will further polarize the citizenry. "This is the time to rebuild our nation," Mandela tells them, in an inspiring speech, "using every brick that comes to us." Ingeniously, he seizes upon the Springboks as a potential unifying force for the country, enlisting the team's captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to push the team to victory at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
It’s not a perfect movie by any means, and at times I was confused by time jumps that weren’t clearly explained but it’s so worth watching. Highly recommend. |
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