2011 Year in Review

What do I when I am really freaking bored at the end of December? I go through my box of tickets and come up with lists of things I did this year, of course! I'll put my top five in each category here, then my complete lists after the jump. Do check it out to see just how much money I wasted spent in 2011!

Top 5 Theatre Experience

1. American Idiot (Jan 30, St. James Theatre, New York City)


2. The Submission (Oct 16, Lortel Theatre, New York City)


3. La Cage aux Folles (Jan 30, Longacre Theatre, New York City)


4. Godspell (Oct 16, Circle in the Square, New York City)


5. Les Miserables (Nov 3, Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence)

It was a good year in theatre for me this year. I took four trips to NYC to see various shows, all of the shows being very enjoyable. My theatre-going excursions in the Boston area were rather light this season, something I hope to change in 2012. Honorable mention here goes to Daniel Radcliffe's star turn in How to Succeed, the much maligned Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and the off-Broadway revival of Rent.

Top 5 Concerts

1. Bruno Mars & Janelle Monáe (May 7, Agannis Arena, Boston)


2. Sara Bareilles & Josh Radin (Aug 30, Bank of America Pavilion, Boston)


3. Jon McLaughlin (May 3, Brighton Music Hall, Boston)


4. The Script (June 8, Bank of America Pavilion, Boston)


5. American Idol Live! (Sep 1, DCU Center, Worcester) 

Looking back I initially thought of this as a good year for me in concerts, but listing them all out, it was kind of slim pickings. The ones I went to were good fun, but there isn't much to choose from for a top-5 list (at least for my likings!). Honorable mention here for Josh Groban at Providence's Dunkin Donuts Center.

Top 5 Movies (based on pure enjoyment, not quality or Oscar-worthiness)

1. Captain America: The First Avenger


2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


3. 50/50


4. X-Men First Class


5. Super 8

Ugh, talk about tough. To do this, I narrowed my list down to 10 movies, then selected five... but in all honesty, there isn't much of a difference between 1 and 10 here. Like the problem I have when finishing my Oscar Watch series, it's so tough to rank movies that are so, so different. Each of the 10 movies I put down elicited different reactions from me, making me love them for different reasons. Tough stuff. The other 5 (in no particular order): Thor, The Muppets, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Black Swan and Footloose. Yes, Footloose.

Top 5 TV Series
Limited to series I saw the entirety of this season, based on 2011's new episodes and again on pure entertainment

1. Breaking Bad


2. Parks & Recreation


3. Friday Night Lights


4. Dexter


5. New Girl

This... this actually was not all that tough. Friday Night Lights's final season was technically in 2010, but it was aired on NBC in 2011, so it's included. I watched P&R in its entirety after realizing that The Office was leaving a void on my TV-viewing schedule (not that the Steve Carrell-less version isn't funny, it's just not AS funny...). P&R more than fills the void... and actually I think it surpasses it. I hesitated to put New Girl on the list at all, given that there's only half a season to go by, but I freaking love that show so far. Honorable mention to The Walking Dead... and for the record, I'd probably put Glee dead last. 

So that's that. 2011 was not a good year for me... so as you can see, I tried to fill it with as much escapism as possible. Hopefully 2012 is different, but still filled with lots of escapism. Because escapism is the best. :)

Full lists after the jump.

OW11: 50/50

Image via Wikipedia

What we have here is a beautifully written movie filled with absolutely wonderful performances. The script by real-life cancer-survivor Adam Reiser is heart-breaking, hilarious, touching, and full of hope, often all at the same time. The performances are all top notch, especially from the always wonderful Joseph Gorden-Levitt and the delightful Anna Kendrick. Seth Rogan was also surprisingly good, even if he was playing the same old Seth Rogan role (which I learned later was the point, as his character is based on... Seth Rogan).

In all, this movie is sure to go down as one of my favorites of the year. I typically find a "little" movie to root for at the Oscars... 50/50 will almost certainly be 2011's.

OW11: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Image via Wikipedia

Read the book... found the first half interminably slow, but a strong second half mostly made up for it.

Saw the original Swedish film... thought mostly the same thing, plus a truly fantastic performance from Noomi Repace.

This new US version... solves the problem. The adaptation by Steven Zaillian is nothing short of masterful, giving all the pertinent exposition without the book's plodding, meandering subplots. That, coupled with David Fincher's typically sparkling direction, moves the movie along at a breakneck pace (though slower when it needs to be). Outside of Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (who give spectacular performances) in the lead roles, the movie didnt look quiet as I expected, which oddly added to the experience.

As you can tell, I enjoyed this film immensely. It was absolutely everything I wanted as I read the book, which helps. Ideally, truly hope the sequels get made, as I'll be right there to see them.

OW11: J. Edgar

Image via Wikipedia

J. Edgar is a rather peculiar little film with big aspirations. It is filled with some great imagery, a wonderful stylistic choices by director Clint Eastwood, a stunning performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, a very well done love story, a solid screenplay… but it ultimately comes off as somewhat slight, rather boring and, frankly, kind of pointless.

The screenplay by Dustin Lance Black is both a strong point of the film and a source of many of the film's problems for me (if that makes any sense at all). The dialogue is quick and appropriate, telling the story wonderfully. The problem is that the film doesn't really give any information about J. Edgar Hoover I didn't already know, and it didn't delve into the why; why was Hoover so insecure, why did he do the things he did, why was he so obsessed? Beyond that, most of the action of the plot wasn't all that engaging to me, so there were times in the film where I felt bored. Though I must say that the love story between Hoover and his protege Clyde Tolson was handled very well, not once taking over the film or being 'over the top', if you will. 

In all, J. Edgar is a film that could have been much better for me. I do highly recommend it if you like the whole biopic genre, as it's definitely worth a watch - the direction and lead performance see to that. 

 

OW11: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II

Image via Wikipedia

As an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novel, HP7.5 is wonderful, right in line with the 3 previous Yates films. My problems with the film largely extend from my problems with the novel itself, and the decision to break the novel into two films. In essence, director David Yates made one giant film based on the seventh book and split it into two pieces, exactly as the full title of the film indicates: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. The result is a movie that struggles to build as a well-made movie should, culminating in a disappointing, largely predictable ending and an absolutely wretched and unnecessary epilogue.

The performances in the cast are wonderful, some of the best of the series. Looking back on the whole Harry Potter octalogy, it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch the young trio of actors, Daniel Radcliffe especially, grow alongside such celebrated actors, seemingly acting as mentors for the young actors. The visual effects are superb, as expected, with the visual feel to the movie right in line with the other Yates Potter films. The overall structure of the film is also a bit lacking, since the first half of the film is missing, as previously noted. It is tough to fully judge this film without the first part, but since the films were packaged as thus, that is how they are judged. It is truly disappointing, as this film could have been, and should have been, an epic finale to an epic series.

I’m including this in my Oscar Watch 2011 series not because of the quality of the film being worthy of inclusion, but because it is the finale of such a landmark film series. As discussed last year with Toy Story 3, the Academy likes to honor landmark finales, so this bears keeping an eye on. I only wish David Yates could go back and re-make the relatively lackluster first four films in the series....

 

Oscar Watch 2011

It's come time for a decision, re: "Oscar Watch 2011". Last year, I'd seen 4 of the films named to the American Film Institute's Top 10 list. The AFI announced their awards recently, and I've seen a grand total of.... zero. #timmfail. There are a couple on the list that I absolutely plan on seeing (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse), a few that I planned on seeing just never got around to (Moneyball, J. Edgar, The Help), a couple that certainly intrigued me (Hugo, The Descendants), one I wouldn't mind seeing (The Tree of Life), one I absolutely avoided seeing (Bridgesmaids) and one I've only vaguely heard of (Midnight in Paris). Plus this list is only a starting point, as there are a bunch of movies this year that I've heard wonderful things about, but aren't on the list (Drive, Ides of March, 50/50... to name a few). 

So I'm putting together a list of the big buzzworthy movies, culled from various best-of lists and such... fortunately, all seem to be available for me to see (or, in some cases, will be available within the next month or so). Here's what I'm going to strive to see:

My list

• The Adventures of Tintin - out 12/21


• Bridesmaids - out currently on blu-ray, added to my Netflix queue.


• Carnage - out 12/16


• The Descendants - out in theaters now


• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - out 12/25


• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - out 12/18


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - already seen, full review to follow


• The Help - out currently on blu-ray, added to my Netflix queue


• Hugo - out in theaters now


• Ides of March - out in theaters now


• The Iron Lady - out 1/13


• J. Edgar - out in theaters now


• Midnight in Paris - blu-ray comes out 12/20


• Moneyball - blu-ray comes out 1/10


• The Tree of Life - out currently on blu-ray, added to my Netflix queue


• War Horse - out 12/25 (though I won't be seeing it until I see the play in January)


• We Bought a Zoo - out 12/23


• 50/50 - out in theaters now, though may be difficult to find

Of course, as I generate this list, I think of a slew of others... but this is what I will begin with. This will be a vaunting task... but I will try my best. Hell, I may even start tonight. Stay tuned for updates!

Could these movie posters be any more awesome?

See the full gallery on Posterous

'Amazing Spider-Man' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

Is it next summer yet?

Zoey in her chair... surely expecting something.

timmmc.com is back on Posterous

I'm an indecisive cad when it comes to hosting my website. It's back on Posterous now... so the last 7 posts may have some wonky formatting. Just a head's up.

Taming of the Shrew

As my regular readers know (lol, regular readers), I've been missing in action for almost a month and a half now. I've been taking part in my alma mater's production of Taming of the Shrew, which was certainly an experience (I'm not naming the college because I don't want this turned up in search engines... though obviously the school can be uncovered rather easily)

I graduated from in the spring of 2008, meaning that kids that came in as freshmen during my senior year graduated last spring, spring 2011. After first realizing how freaking old that made me feel, I sat back and took stock of the theatre department: It's almost exactly the same, for better and for worse.

The better: the department is still strong. Very strong. You have a wide variety of "types" in the department. There is a wealth of very good young actors. You have students clearly buying into what various professors are teaching. You have a department that when it comes together, puts on damn good productions. But even with all that, the negatives are still there. I won't get into specifics, but there is a rift in the department that always tended to make the rehearsal process borderline miserable, a characteristic today's department still has. It's disappointing, really, but I'd have a hard time envisioning a scenario where it wasn't always going to be the case.

In the end, however, the actual performances of the show righted all rehearsal wrongs. I can honestly say I was miserable leading up the weekend performances... but when I left campus on Sunday, I did so with a heavy heart. I never would have thought I'd say this a week ago, but I am very glad I took part in the production.

Also, one last note... I learned that stereotypes exist because, well, they are real. When I went to school, a number of the students fit into a number of typical theater stereotypes. All those students are now gone... replaced by more stereotypes. In several cases, I could look at certain people and find a 1-to-1 correlation with a classmate. I even found someone that reminded me of myself. I was accordingly freaked out.

But now, it's back to my regular schedule of TV, movies and theatre watching. Escapist entertainment, I've missed you.

"THE X FACTOR goes live!" or, "Drew!"

The X-Factor is live! As expected, this is where X-Factor distances itself from American Idol. Tonight's show was slick, quick moving, mostly entertaining, and free of filler (which will surely come when the number of acts go down, I'm sure). It was rather refreshing, actually, based on what I've seen of the show thus far. Very promising start!

I probably won't be able to do a full review each week for the show, but I can this week... so onward, after the jump!

GLEE's back and I'm nitpicking!

First, I must say... Glee is back. I wrote a couple of weeks ago how the premiere was promising to me... and the two episodes have backed up the promise. They are actually caring about the characters and the plot (well, mostly)! The witty one-liners are back! The music choices are mostly logical! How I've missed good Glee.

Before I get into my list of nitpicks, I should say flat out: this was likely the best episode of the show since the first half of season 1. Unexpected characters got wonderful moments to shine, with characters that we rarely hear from coming through in a big way. And THREE big musical moments for Amber Riley? Love it. I also loved the brave Dreamgirls sequence, which worked brilliantly in my opinion. However, as noted, I do have some nitpicks...

The Problem with THE X FACTOR

The long-awaited and much-hyped premiere of Simon Cowell's new reality extravaganza The X Factor has come and gone, with decidedly mixed reactions. I've read a whole bunch of reviews and recaps, finding that I agree and disagree with aspects of all of them. So, here you go, my review.

I've seen a few episodes of the original UK version of the show, and absolutely loved it. I could best describe it as American Idol on steroids, creating a much more fun show. The Simon Cowell seen in that incarnation was absolutely nothing like the Simon Cowell from Idol, which did nothing but enhance the show. The American version, thus far however? It's American Idol live. That's all. The same auditions you have to deal with for the first month of the show, just now held in an arena full of people. The judge's banter, the at times forced arguments about who should go on, the catering to famewhores and wannabes... it's exactly the same.

And, frankly, I blame American Idol.

GLEE returns... with a bang.

With a couple of episodes to go last season, I thought to myself that I wished I wrote weekly Glee blog posts, so I could have a place to nitpick about the aspects of Glee that annoyed me. So, naturally, when I finally decide to start up a weekly Glee post series... I have few nitpicks. Of course. Regardless, I wrote out my thoughts on the series, after the jump.

Catching up on some "recent" movies...

I kept this blog very active during Oscars season with all my movie reviews and such, something I've obviously been slacking on. I don't think I'm going to write up full reviews, but I do want to at least "rate" the movies I've seen since then. A scale of 1-5 stars with a little explanation sounds decent, don't you think?

It should also be noted that I planned on making this post all pretty with movie posters and such.... but then Blogger decided to be a bitch about lining up images and such. Worked for an hour on it, still inexplicably wouldn't work, so they were deleted. Blogger fail.

I Am Number Four

Good popcorn movie. I really have no idea what else to say about this movie. The storyline was decent enough, more or less what you'd expect from a young adult sci-fi novel. The cast more or less did exactly how one would expect them to do, looking beyond beautiful doing so. Enjoyable enough flick, definitely worth a rental. 

3.5 stars.

Thor

I knew next to nothing about Thor going in, except that he was a god, he joins The Avengers, and he carries a somewhat lame hammer around. I was skeptical that they'd be able to make a coherent movie that takes place in Thor's world and our world at the same time, and make the whole god thing acceptable in a realistic-styled movie..... but boy, did they. I came away from this movie completely and utterly blown away, at the time making it my favorite Marvel movie (at least of the ones leading up to The Avengers, so discounting the X-Men and Spider-Man movies). I was just thinking last night how disappointed I was that I haven't seen it a second time.

5 stars.

X-Men: First Class

This is the one of the two movies this summer that I saw twice.... and, frankly, I could see it a few more times. To me, this is exactly how comic book movies should be made (and yes, I'm aware it wasn't based on a comic book). Comic books have a distinctive way of showing different things, from unexpected angles, unique transitions, and quick cuts.... all of which can be found in this movie. Absolutely loved it. The performances are also very strong, particularly James McAvoy. Should this movie turn into a trilogy as is the plan floated by Fox, I think he could well make everyone forget about Patrick Stewart.

5 stars.

Super 8

If you liked the Speilberg movies of the 80s and early 90s where the supernatural come to life, where imagination is celebrated, where you just feel good at the end... Super 8 is for you. Not the perfect film it could have been, sure, but still very, very good. The leading performance from Joel Courtney is easily one of the better kid performances I've seen, which is no easy task given the other factors in this movie. 

4.5 stars.

Green Lantern

Ho boy. I had such hopes for this movie. I knew very, very little about the Green Lantern universe going in, and left with a better knowledge about it, sure. I went in not too impressed with Ryan Reynolds, but enjoyed his performance. Same with Blake Lively in all things not entitled The Town. But the film itself? Messy messy messy. It almost felt like I was watching multiple films at once: a forced love story, a superhero origins story, a superhero training movie and a very, very brief superhero battle movie. The various movies didn't really coexist, they just.... happened at the same time. Very disappointing. The whole Green Lantern universe, though, is very interesting to me, and I actually felt the movie did a decent job of introducing it to movie audiences, I just hope they focus the inevitable Green Lantern 2 to have the whole thing make sense.

3 stars.

Cars 2

I liked the first Cars movie. I can't say that I loved it or was blown away by anything about it, like I can say about all the other Pixar movies, but I enjoyed it both times I'd seen it. But.... Cars 2? Really? What's the point? I liked the premise of the movie, and actually didn't really mind the movie itself, but there's no real justification for the sequel. At all. The whole thing really reminded me of the lazy, greedy crash grab Disney sequels that spelled the (temporary) end of Disney's hand-drawn animation. I expect better than that from Pixar. Though all that said, Cars 2 isn't nearly as bad as those sequels. There are some decent ideas in the film, even if they aren't needed. Plus, the animation is, as expected, fantastic.

3 stars.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

I had a few problems with the second half of this book when I read it, so it's not surprising that I have the same problems with the plot of the film. Speaking of just the film, though, I loved it. Not the best of the series, but certainly a fitting conclusion to the series. Also, tangentially related, but I hate this movie poster.
4 stars.

Captain America: The First Avenger
(mild spoilers in this mini-review)
Remember when I said that Thor was my favorite Avengers/Marvel movie "at the time"? That is until Captain America came out. I don't think there's a single thing about this movie that I didn't like. The cast is absolutely everything you could want from a movie like this, every last one of the principles perfectly cast. If I had to pick something I didn't like about the film, it'd be the ending. Not so much what happened, which I enjoyed, but more about what it means; any future installments of the Captain America franchise will have to take place in the current, unless Stark Industries is hiding a time machine somewhere....
5 stars.

Cowboys and Aliens
Pretty much a pointless film.... unless the point was to illustrate that Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are badasses, Olivia Wilde is gorgeous yet creepy and random, and aliens are bad guys for no apparent reason. If that is the point of the film, however, well then, mission accomplished. But since those points are all proven time and time again in every movie they are in, this film is a disappointment. I kind of figured that would be the case going into it, but I was hoping, at least, for something so bad that it was awesome, but it even disappointed there. Not a good movie, not a bad movie. Just.... a movie.
3 stars.

Also, saw this on DVD for the first time, so I'll include it as well....

The Incredible Hulk
I figured I loved both Iron Man films and the Thor film, and (at the time) was looking forward to the Captain America film, so I should probably see the other movie that takes place in the same universe. I wasn't expecting much from this, really, seeing as its been 3 years since it's release and I haven't heard a single word about a sequel.... but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I really enjoyed how the movie was structured, not using the typical superhero movie pattern: origin, training, battle. The origin story was actually told as the movie went along, in various flashbacks as the story needed. Edward Norton, Jr, was certainly strong as Bruce Banner, though I don't think I'll miss him from The Avengers. In reading a bit afterwards, I liked that the Hulk story was tweaked a bit, making it match the general idea of the other Marvel universe films, which I'm sure will likely be a plot point in The Avengers. Definitely glad I saw this.
4 stars.

Gym?

Every so often, the thought of joining a gym pops into my mind randomly. Since I'm lazy and unmotivated, I typically push the idea aside, and it goes away. Lately, though, the idea has come to me more and more frequently, lingering longer and longer. So, I do believe that I'll try it.

Oh no, don't expect me to become a gym rat, pumping iron, getting jacked and all that shit. As I said, I'm lazy and unmotivated. I'll likely just stick to the treadmills and maybe the stationary bikes. Something to just make me more active than I am now.

Which obviously isn't hard, seeing as I'm currently sitting in bed, about to play Playstation, blogging, and listening to Sara Bareilles. Like a champ, obviously, but lazier.

Back from New York City!

Following up on my post about my NYC trip, I'm back! I ended up seeing 6 shows in total, which, if I'm not mistaken, is a new record for me. In addition to the six, which I've written up reviews about, I went to Harry Potter: The Exhibition, a collection of costumes and props and such from the movies... which was GREAT. SO much fun seeing items from movies that I will never forget. Each item had a little sign next to it, identifying what the item was... is it bad that I didn't need the little sign for probably a vast majority of the items? 

Anyhoo, if you're interested, my reviews are after the cut!

American Idol S10: The Finals

Haley :-(

Now, I know my prediction last week was off. I know I changed my initial prediction of a Lauren/Scotty finale to a Haley/Lauren finale.... but I'm still going to pat myself on the back. I never wrote about it (yeah, yeah, what of it?), but I read a spoiler late last year that someone named Scotty McCreery made the top 40, and that he was a country hearthrob. I watched a couple YouTube videos and agreed - this kid had to be a frontrunner. I've documented my choice of Lauren - from the moment she started singing with Steven Tyler in her audition, I figured she could be in this spot (and given how she was hailed as the second coming of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, I knew it would be). 

I also know that this isn't exactly a popular finale. Are Scotty and Lauren the two most talented artists on Idol this year? Hard to determine, really, but I'll say no. Are they the best contestants on the show? Nope, not at all. How are they here? Probably more luck than anything else, with other perceived favorites falling on their faces more often. Whatever the case, this is one of the very few finales where both finalists have a legit chance of being successful in mainstream music (yes, haters, country is a mainstream genre of music). 

Without further introduction.... the finale.

American Idol S10: Top 3

re: last week.... BRAVO, AMERICA! The right person went home last week, if you ask me, regardless of what the judges were trying to force. 

If you told me back when I started my weekly recapping of Idol that Haley would be top 3 at worst, I would have laughed at you. The girl has turned it on over the course of the competition, choosing great songs, ripping into them like nobody's business. These last two weeks are typically very tough, since the judges give absolutely no help (less so than usual!).

These weekly Idol promo shots are humorous. Could they be wearing any more makeup? Or is it airbrushing? Either way... too much.

Anyhoo, onto the top 3!

American Idol S10: Top 4, Songs that Inspire and the Songs of Leiber & Stoller

 

I don't have anything to say about last week's results show other than, simply... perfect final four.

Also, I don't know why I never put a picture on my Idol posts. #timmfail, I guess. Perhaps I'll go back and add them, to pretty up my blog. Perhaps.

Tonight... more tired Idol themes! Seriously, is it so difficult to find new themes? While they've only done one specific "Leiber and Stoller" week (season 4), their songs are absolute staples of Motown Weeks and 60s week and 50s week and Elvis week and others. Been there, done that. And inspirational songs? Done 3 times. Where is One Hit Wonder week? Songs by the Opposite Gender? Songs from James Bond movies? Songs Never Before Done on American Idol? 

Ah well.... you know the drill, after the jump. 

 

American Idol S10: Top 5, Songs from Now and Then

Casey finally got the boot last week. What was a surprise was the "bottom three"... that wasn't really a bottom three. Seacrest never said that the three remaining were the lowest vote getters, which reeks of producer manipulation. I'd be willing to bet that Scotty's vote totals weren't as high as the producers liked, so by having him appear to be in trouble, they can encourage voting. They do this pretty much every year... it must work, or else they wouldn't do it.

Anyhoo, this week... now and then. Everybody gets two solo songs, one contemporary, one from the 60s... though looking at some of the song choices, apparently "1960s" was just a guideline. Either way, should be interesting... I'm watching via rickey.org, so I don't have the judges comments... though I did get running commentary from Rachael during the show (thanks!) and was following along on Twitter, so I got the gist of everything. My thoughts, after the jump!

Jon McLaughlin in Concert

Last night, Marissa and I went and saw Jon McLaughlin in concert in Brighton. Seriously, I don't know why this guy isn't far bigger than he is. Just a truly fantastic acoustic set.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Nearly an EPIC #timmfail

I try to travel to New York City for a mini-vacation once every 6 months or so, when my bank account allows. I went in early November... it's now May. My sanity is slipping, so I need to get away. So, trip = go.

First thing's first, I figured out what shows I wanted to see. Spider-Man, Book of Mormon, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Anything Goes, The Normal Heart, Catch Me If You Can, Sister Act, War Horse... all shows on my list. I looked for discounts, plotted out performance schedules, all that good stuff. I settled on May 16th - May 19th. 

Here's where the #timmfail starts.

A few days passed, then I set out to purchase tickets. First, Spider-Man. I found a discount for balcony seats that weren't terrible, so I looked for what performance could get me the best seat. May 17th gave me a third row seat, but Mar 24 gets me first row center. Why couldn't I go a week later? That's fine. Booked. Then came The Normal Heart. I pull up my discount code.... and I was reminded why I picked the 16th-19th. The code expires Sunday the 22nd. However, #timmfail averted. I simply shifted the dates from the 22nd - 26th... with a bonus being that I can see an extra show. I was annoyed with myself, but in all, it works out. I got a front row mezzanine ticket for The Normal Heart, and I'm set to go.

At that point, it hit me that I was doing things in the wrong order.... place to stay first. I go to my usual hostel.... and no vacancies. Ruh roh. #timmfail. But, again, EPIC qualification avoided, since I found another place to stay that wasn't horribly priced, a place that actually works pretty well. 

All these #timmfails got me thinking... why else did I plan on the 16th-19th? I didn't have any other discounts or anything, but I had a feeling there was something else pushing me away from the last week in May. Then it hit me.... the Glee season finale is scheduled for May 24th. Fail. Oh, and the American Idol finale is the 25th. EPIC fail. That said, both those are easily fixed... Glee can be watched on Hulu, Idol on rickey.org. I'm making it a point to be home and in front of my TV for the final results show on the 26th. Can't miss that.

Hopefully this trip doesn't turn out to be doomed like the planning process has been. If it does.... I may be taking a prolonged absence from NYC for my own sanity!

American Idol S10: Top 6, The Songs of Carole King

Last week on American Idol.... my weeks-old prediction finally came true with Stefano going home. His elimination shows that it's down to crunch time for American Idol 10, as it was probably his strongest performance in weeks. All things considered, this top 6 is probably pretty close to what I would have figured the top 6 would be, had I made a list at the beginning of the competition (though I probably would have swapped Jacob and Pia).

This week, the Idols tackle the songs of Carole King. I LOVE Carole King, so this could be a real interesting week for me. Hopefully it's along the lines of the Elton John week, another of my favorites, where everyone came out pretty strong. I didn't watch the live show, instead am watching via the magic of Youtube. Without further adieu...

American Idol S10: Top 7, Songs from the 21st Century

So, I was incorrect with my Stefano pick for the second straight week. I had 2/3 of the bottom three right, though! I wasn't surprised at all by Paul going home. He was bad more often than he was brilliant, so, there you go. 

"Songs from the 21st Century." That sounds so.... futuristic. I mean, sure, it actually means songs from the last 10 years or so, so technically the past, but still. Futuristic. Anyhoo, whatev. My thoughts after the jump.

 

American Idol S10: Top 8, Songs from the Movies Week

Tonight, American Idol reaches another hand in the "cliche theme week" bag, coming out with Songs from the Movies. Tonight's was a show where 7/8 of the contestants were showered with praise like never before, because when the judges say it's the best year ever, it so is.

 

American Idol S10: Top 9, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Week

Tonight, the top 9 tackle songs from artists in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. When I first learned the theme, I bemoaned the seemingly narrow theme, something Nigel Lythgoe promised would not be the case. I knew the inductees are a varied bunch, but it didn’t register in my head just how varied. So, without further adieu….

American Idol S10: Top 11 (Part Deux), Elton John Week

So the judges saved Casey last week. Ho hum…. just kidding. That was big. That kind of situation is EXACTLY what the save should be used for. I’ve made it no secret that I’m no Casey fan, but there is absolutely no reason he should finish 11th in this year’s competition. None whatsoever. I’ll chalk his “elimination” up to lackadaisical voting by America (along the lines of Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry). Great use of the save by the judges, and great job getting the silly “sing for your life!” gimmick out of the way early on.

Tonight the Top 11 tackled the iconic songs of Elton John, one of the most done artists in Idol history. Makes sense. Let’s get right to it, shall we? Tweet form again!

My review of NEVER LET ME GO

Normally, I write my own reviews (as you know)… but this review I found speaks my thoughts exactly. Highlights and additional thoughts after the jump. (some spoilers)

American Idol S10: Top 11... Motown Week

Marissa, James and I saw HAIR tonight, so I’m forced to watch Idol via various Youtube videos, courtesy of rickey.org. I’m watching them in reverse order (as they are posted on the site). I’m going to keep it brief tonight. So without further adieu…

A.R.T.'s PROMETHEUS BOUND

Last week, Marissa and I went to see American Repertory Theater’s new musical, PROMETHEUS BOUND. I had the best of intentions when it came to seeing it and reviewing it. I planned on writing my review right when I got home, when the material was fresh in my mind, bouncing around my head, me still wired with the adrenaline an all-new rock musical often gives.

But, I couldn’t do it. I felt like I needed some time to process what I’d seen. I mean, I shouldn’t jump right on it, right? The first impression is always the strongest, I should let it sit a bit, right? 

Well, to candy coat it a bit…. there wasn’t much good to take from this show.

American Idol S10: Top 12

I’m starting to get a bit worried about this season. The semi-finals seemed to set up a season 8-like scenario, where any given week, you could envision 3/4 of the contestants actually winning. Two weeks later, and it appears like it could be one of three or four people. It’s still early, so I’m not giving up hope of a free-for-all just yet… but this week was more of the same from last week - some hits, some epic misses… but mostly meh.

I finally saw THE HURT LOCKER

Great performances. Great direction. The writing was solid. The intensity is there. The relevancy is obviously there. All the ingredients were present and accounted for, so this movie should be absolutely great, right?

Meh. (Spoilers after the jump)

Kathy Griffin's PLAYBILL Bio

I love this woman. Want to know why?

Kathy Griffin is thrilled to be performing at the storied and absolutely haunted Belasco Theatre, where she has already told legendary stage impresario David Belasco’s ghost, in no uncertain terms, to “Suck it.” Ms. Griffin is especially excited to be reprising the role of Kathy Griffin after spending four years as Kathie Lee Gifford in a touring company of Ms. Gifford’s one-woman musical jamboree,Jesus Is My Homeboy. Born in Madagascar, raised in Rangoon (that’s for you, Streisand-obsessed gays), Ms. Griffin made her stage debut at the age of nine in a Griffin family kitchen production of Boys in the Band, where Ms. Griffin played seven gay men simultaneously. Can you say foreshadowing? Broadway: Speed-the-Plow (with Jeremy Piven, Sushi Taster no. 4); Macbeth(Macbeth’s wisecracking red-headed sidekick); Les Misérables (Jean Valjean’s funny flame-haired henchwoman); The Iceman Cometh (Iceman’s sharp-tongued best friend); Neil LaBute’s I Hate You But I Won’t Say It Till It Can Do the Most Damage (Dead Whore); Cats (Fierce-y Tattletail MacHairBall);Sweeney Todd (Pie Eater No. 3); Chicago (Mrs. Cellophane); Your Arms Too Short to Box With God: A Soaring Celebration in Song and Dance (God’s Fight Promoter); Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark (Head Stuntwoman, fired). Off-Broadway: Mark Twain Tonight! (Understudy); Stamp (the sister production to Stomp, but about stamp collecting); How Do I Get to Broadway? Off-Off-Broadway: Live! Live! Girls! Girls! Sex! Sex! (still running). Television: the double-Emmy-winning “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (series regular); “Law & Order: SVU” (no, really, this isn’t a Playbill joke, I’m like a real New York actor!); “Suddenly Susan” (not Brooke Shields); “Seinfeld” (not Julia Louis-Dreyfus); “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (not Larry David); “Glee” (another Emmy please); CNN “New Year’s Eve With Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin” (Gloria Vanderbilt’s best friend); more stand-up comedy specials than any other comedian EVER, including four in 2011 alone; “ER”; “The X-Files”; “The Simpsons”; “Ugly Betty”; “American Dad.” Ms. Griffin has also hosted countless awards shows. Look, just type “comedy legend” into your search engine and her picture will come up, probably sixth or seventh. Talk show bannings: “Oprah,” “The View,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” “Ellen,” “Maury Povich Baby Daddy Specials,” “The 700 Club,” “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.” Celebrity Feuds: Oprah, Ryan Seacrest, Bill O’Reilly, any and all Palins and Angela Lansbury (she knows what she did). Film: Pulp Fiction; Four Rooms; It’s Pat; Gandhi (Gandhi’s wacky girlfriend); Saving Private Ryan; Cold Mountain; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Can’t Stop the Music; Can’t Stop the Music 2: Turn It Up; Can’t Stop the Music 3: Okay, Now That’s Just Too Loud; The Remains of the Day; Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad White Woman; Black Swan; The King’s Speech; The Social Network. Awards: Ms. Griffin has received two Emmy awards, having been nominated seven times. She has also received three Grammy nominations, the GLAAD Vanguard Award, the Trevor Project’s Lifetime Honoree Award, the Human Rights Campaign’s Ally for Equality Award, a 2007 GAYVN Award (aka gay porn), the key to Louisville and the 2011 Tony Award (fingers crossed!). Ms. Griffin is also the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Official Book Club Selection: “A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin.” She lives in Los Angeles, but loves New York, and would like to thank her dogs PomPom Griffin and Larry Griffin-Arquette, as well as her loving fiancee Kelsey Grammar. However, Ms. Griffin’s most cherished production is that of her four children: Apple, Moses, Willow and Jaden. Without their strength and love and support, she would not be able to continue to tell dick jokes for the best audience in the world (that’s you, people!). She would also like to thank God, and remind everyone how closely she follows Biblical scripture: “Behold I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.” (Malachi 2:3)

Super 8 Trailer

http://www.paramount.com/webmaster/player/paramount_epk.php

 

If you want to watch a kick-ass trailer… look no further. Super 8, the new movie from J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. Watch.

 

American Idol S10: Top 13

Last week, I was SO encouraged by this season. TONS of talent, SO much potential, the hopes that this season will recapture the magic of American Idol….. then this week happened.

Ok, that’s a bit rough. The contestants are all still super talented, and everyone still has the potential they had last week…. but this week was certainly disappointing for me.

The speculation was that Idol peeps brought in Interscope’s Jimmy Iovine to help guide the contestants, who were falling into a pattern of choosing TERRIBLE songs for themselves in recent years. So far, it appears Iovine is failing. Tonight’s song choices were all over the place, ranging from boringly safe to horribly outlandish and everything in between.

Movie aliens are just.... misunderstood, that's all.

http://www.movieline.com/2011/03/the-real-reason-movie-aliens-attack-without-...

 

This is awesome. File this under “blog entries I wish I wrote.”

Michael Bay admits Transformers 2 sucked, still proves he's an idiot

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/michael-bay-revives-claims-write...

Bay states the obvious when it comes to his own Transformers…. but still proves he’s out of touch on filmmaking.

“I love it when you see these things: ‘The 3D event of the year!’ You see it every movie,” he says. “There was a recent movie where you go in and before it starts they put up a little plate: ‘These scenes were not shot in 3D.’ Are you kidding? I think our 3D works really well with the robots, the size, the girth, the weight of it … it’s spectacular.”

I can assume he’s referring to Tron: Legacy. Now, I’m not going to claim that Tron is the pinnacle of filmmaking, but I’m going to bet that Michael Bay did not see the film… as not shooting the beginning and ending scenes in 3-D was a fantastic choice.

Clearly, the jokes write themselves when it comes to Michael Bay.

American Idol S10: Semi-Finals Round

I said after the first audition night that I wanted to review Idol this year, so I’m going to do just that. I can’t guarantee I’ll do this same thing each week, but as I sit here right this moment, that’s my plan. After the jump, you’ll find my contestant-by-contestant mini-review for the show’s Top 24. Spoiler: it’s a girl’s year.

The 2011-2012 Broadway Across America-Boston Season is Announced!

I’ve noticed that I don’t blog about theatre all that much of late. ME, not blog about THEATRE. I know. Bizarre.

Anyhoo, Broadway Across America announced their 2011-2012 season today. 6 shows at the Boston Opera House, 2 at the Shubert Theatre (oddly…. what happened to the Colonial?). Take a gander:

South Pacific - Sept 27 - Oct 2, 2011 - Boston Opera House
La Cage Aux Folles - Dec 5-18, 2011 - Shubert Theatre
American Idiot - Jan 24-29, 2012 - Boston Opera House
The Addams Family - Feb 7-19, 2012 - Shubert Theatre
Les Miserables - Mar 13 - Apr 1, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Beauty & the Beast - May 29 - Jun 3, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Mamma Mia! - June 19-24, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Billy Elliot - Aug 1 - Sep 2, 2012 - Boston Opera House 

There was a time when Boston was a go-to road stop in the theatre community. Broadway-bound productions (Our Town, Follies, La Cage aux Folles, Seussical, High Fidelity, the Kathleen Turner Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff and the Christina Applegate Sweet Charity to name a few, off the top of my head) tried out here, national tours either started here or made sure to hit the city early-on. Now? Not so much. I’m not sure who or what is to blame…. the producing company, the critics, the audience, the proximity to NY, economic factors…. but if you ask me, the producing company, Broadway Across America, really needs to step up. Let’s break it down.

This will be this South Pacific tour’s second appearance in Boston, playing the Wang Theatre in late 2009. The tour also played Providence earlier this winter. It’s a truly wonderful production of a phenominal show, yes…. but really? BAA was beaten to the punch not once but twice.

La Cage Aux Folles and The Addams Family…. these ones I’ll give BAA. Relevant shows (still in NY), early in their first touring season, in appropriate theaters… good stuff. Credit where credit is due. The same is mostly true for American Idiot, save for the theater. The show will be swallowed up by the Opera House… but such is life on the road. 

When I saw Les Mis in 2005 (or 2006?) in Boston, it was billed as the “final Boston engagement”, a billing I recall laughing at. Sure enough, here it is again. Aside from the fact that there is yet another Les Mis tour getting ready to hit the road, I actually don’t have a problem with this hitting Boston. It’s been a while, the show sells well… it’s an institution. I suppose the same is true about Beauty & the Beast…. 

Mamma Mia! is back! After the tour took a season off from Boston (going to Providence instead!), it’s back. I’m so happy! /sarcasm

My major problem is with Billy Elliot, coming in the summer of 2012. The first US production of Billy Elliot that wasn’t in NYC was in Chicago, in March 2010. That production moved to Toronto and later San Francisco, with a second national tour opening in October 2010. 21 months later, it hits Boston. I understand that a huge physical tour like Billy Elliot can’t criss cross the nation willy nilly, but a city with a rich theatrical history like Boston having to wait nearly 2 years for a major tour is just plain dumb. I am fully expecting PPAC’s season to be announced very shortly, with Billy Elliot playing the theater in spring/early summer 2012, just to be an extra kick to Boston’s balls. 

Oscars Review

Well, the Oscars telecast was certainly a mixed bag.

Hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco
I found Anne Hathaway to be a charming, cute host…. nothing game changing, but she certainly did the trick. James Franco, however? Aside from his foray into drag, every time he opened his mouth, the bit fell flat and the segment dragged. He almost seemed to be under the influence of… something. Safe to say that hosting a live event like this is not his strong point.

The show itself
I don’t think it’s any secret which awards make for interesting TV: The acting awards, Best Director, Screenplay, Score, Song and, of course, Picture. Obviously, all the other awards are important… but interesting? Not so much. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know what the different between sound mixing and sound editing is, nor do I really care. I’m not saying cut the boring awards from the show completely, no…. but certainly don’t put them all together, one after another. Snoozefest. It almost seemed like tonight’s telecast came in three acts: the first (opening through Best Supporting Actor) and last (Best Director through the end) were interesting, the middle coma-inducing. This seems like common sense to me…

The Awards Outcomes
This year’s awards lacked suspense, really, until the final award. The awards went more or less where I figured they would…. and where I was wrong, they went to my second choice. Yep, I’m patting myself on the back… it’s my blog. Good job, Timm. Thanks, Timm!

Anyhoo, a moderately entertaining Oscars tonight. Soorner or later they’ll put all the pieces together right and create a strong telecast, but until then…. let’s see what random host(s) they’ll get next year!

Aaaand…. this officially finishes Oscar Watch 2010!

Oscar Predictions!

It’s finally Oscar day, so I should probably make my final Oscar predictions, eh?

Oscar Watch 2010 = Complete

After 12 films and 22 hours, 39 minutes, the challenge I call “Oscar Watch 2010” is officially completed. As in 2008, I found this experience to be completely rewarding, an experience I hope to (and plan on!) doing again in 2011. 

On Sunday, before Hollywood’s biggest night, I will post my official recap with all my Oscar picks. Stay tuned!

My review of 127 HOURS

Great leading performance. Great direction. But I can’t get past the subject matter. Spoilers within.

My review of WINTER'S BONE

Great performance by a relative unknown…. but….

A 2nd Spider-Man Musical?

http://thespideyproject.blogspot.com/

This is kind of hilarious.

I’ve been defending the Julie Taymor/U2 SPIDER-MAN musical from the beginning, but even I’m getting annoyed by the delays and all the ridiculousness surrounding the production. 

Orange British Academy Film Awards artwork

Illustator Adam Simpson was commissioned to produce artwork for this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards tickets and brochure covers…. from the BAFTA website

If only this artist did one of these featuring Marvel characters....

herochan:

Minimalist DC Superhero Poster - by Michael B. Myers Jr.

Website || Twitter || Facebook

LOVE this. Must find a Marvel version… 

2011's Early "MUST SEE" List

Now that 2010’s film book is nearly closed, save for WINTER’S BONE, 127 HOURS and the actual Academy Awards ceremony, it’s time to look ahead to 2011. Looking back at 2010’s list, a majority of the films on the list I likely hadn’t heard of or knew of in January of 2010. This is quite likely the case with 2011. Likewise, there were films on my 2010 “MUST SEE” list that came nowhere close to being included in my ‘Oscar Watch 2010’ series: Iron Man 2, Burlesque, Tron, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter 7A (as I like to refer to it as), Shutter Island, Tangled, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Kick-Ass, and more. Hell, I didn’t even get around to seeing some of the movies on the list!

Anyhoo, I just scanned the list of movies coming out in 2011, and these are the titles that jump out at me. I’m going to proactively warn you, however, that most of the films on my list will make me look like an uber-dork. 

First Captain America Poster Unveiled

Time to get excited!

Marriage Equality FTW

 

This has been blogged and reblogged to death, but it deserves it.

 

Week of Theatre!

In the past week, I’ve seen three musicals - Jersey Boys in Boston and La Cage aux Folles & American Idiot in New York. I’m not going to write full length reviews of each, because, quite simply, I loved all three. Some brief thoughts, though…

JERSEY SHORE Season 4 = Italy

http://www.tvline.com/2011/01/buzz-jersey-shore-will-storm-italy-for-season-4/

 

I have been waiting for this since the cast first said they were Italian. This is going to be AMAZING.

Oscar Nominations are In!

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/25/whos-up-for-an-oscar/?hpt=C1

 

Pretty much as I expected…. except THE TOWN being almost completely overlooked. That, my friends, is a crying shame. The film, the director, its star and its screenplay deserves better. 

On that note, looking at the Best Picture nominees… the AFI list was pretty much spot on (adding in THE KING’S SPEECH in place of THE TOWN). Looks like I’ll have to see 127 Hours and Winter’s Bone after all!

Oscar Watch 2010 Wrap-Up

Right around Christmas, I decided to go ahead and do what I did a couple years back: see all of the Best Picture nominees and contenders in time for the Academy Awards. Well, I actually one-upped myself, seeing most of the films widely regarded as contenders before nominations even came out. I’m proud of myself.

Before I get to the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, I must put down something of a disclaimer. I initially used the American Film Institute’s Top 10 of 2010 list as a guideline for my list. While the list isn’t necessarily an accurate indication of which films will be nominated (the 2009 list only featured 5 of the Oscar nominees), it seemed like a good list to build upon. I did omit two films from the list: 127 HOURS (this film did not interest me, and the much talked about climactic scene turns my stomach just thinking about…. so I’ll wait on that one) and WINTER’S BONE (again, the film just did not interest me). In exchange, I added two films of my own to it: A KING’S SPEECH (did not qualify for the AFI awards, as it’s a British film) and BLUE VALENTINE. I had also intended on seeing RABBIT HOLE, but since there are no theatres near me where I can see it… it must wait. 

After the jump, the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, plus my personal locks for Oscar nominations.

My review of BLUE VALENTINE

A gritty, real, honest portrayal of a relationship from start to finish… but missing something. 

My review of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

As I get closer to the end of my quest, I come across THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, a comedy about a lesbian couple and their two children. Cute, but poses no threat. I wanted to love this movie. I really did… but I didn’t. I found it enjoyable enough, with a funny script and some very strong performances, but there seemed to be something missing. Perhaps it was that the plot never strayed from the predictable, perhaps it was the somewhat static and stock nature of the characters… but I wasn’t feeling it.

First look at Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

I forgot to post this the other day.

I love everything about this photo. Andrew Garfield is going to be a FANTASTIC Spider-Man.

A reminder that the Oscars are more about politics than the films they award...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/race/kings-speech-beat-social-network-...

 

Not to make this year’s Oscar race into a fight between King George VI and Mark Zuckerberg, but this blog post by THR annoys me. I know it’s the truth, that producers jockey for position and hope to get that last lick in before voting closes…. but still, annoying. Shouldn’t the Best Picture Oscar be about, I don’t know, awarding the best motion picture of the year? All award shows are like this, I’m fully aware, but it’s just so… slimy. 

I have two more movies on my list that I intend to see, hopefully this weekend if I find the motivation: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and BLUE VALENTINE. Once I see those two films, hopefully before Tuesday’s Oscar nominations, I’ll post my picks. Fingers crossed!

*For those keeping track, I have indeed struck two movies from the AFI List from my own (preliminary) list: WINTER’S BONE and 127 HOURS. Should the nominations require I see these two, I’ll do it for completists sake, to accomplish what I set out to do, but for now, they are omitted.

American Idol S10: What's with the ju-ju-bees on your oo-oo-bees?

So, the 10th season American Idol premiered last night. I LOVE this show. I was at first skeptical of all the changes they made so quickly to the show, but as the hype continued to build, I began getting more and more excited. I figured that Steven Tyler was going to be a hot mess, and I was dying to see it.

The audition episodes are not my favorite in the least. To me, it’s more or less 3-4 weeks of noise, with a few standout auditions (for all the WRONG reasons). Sure, they show some really talented people, and quite likely the person that will be crowned the winner in May… but given all the crap auditions, I’m not likely to remember them when they get to the Hollywood round, let alone the actual performance shows. Because of this, I usually watch a couple shows when I can, but I don’t make them appointment TV.

This year, however? That may change. Why? Steven Tyler.

Bruno Mars is love.

 

Bruno Mars is, without a doubt, one of the most talented people in the pop music world right now. Yet, somehow, that world is ruled by a hack like Katy Perry. Terrible.

SKINS hits the US....

Oh, SKINS. The UK version was totally a guilty pleasure for all the right reasons…. now it comes to the US. Ho boy. 

2011 GOLDEN GLOBES Instant Reaction

So, the Golden Globes just ended…. some quick thoughts.

Welcome to timmmc.com!

This here is the first post on timmmc.com!

I totally needed my own website, complete with domain name, right? The domain name was available, so I figured I should snag it while the going’s good. As you can clearly see, at this point it’s just my Tumblr with a (snazzy) new URL, but that may change. I have lots of free time, I may work on learning to create a whole new site… but whatever I do, it’ll be right here, on timmmc.com!

My review of THE KING'S SPEECH

Probably the most critically acclaimed film on my list…. and yep, I got it.

Spoiler: This is more acclaim.

My review of TRUE GRIT

I have a love/hate relationship with the Coen Brothers…. but fortunately this was more FARGO than NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for me.

EPIC Fail

EPIC SADFACE.

My Kindle had a horrific fall today. And by fall, I mean I dropped it. At first I thought the casing just popped open a bit, but when I tried to pop it back into place, I realized that it was more than that…. and clearly, the screen was affected as well. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Then when I saw that my one year warranty expired right before Christmas, I was sad.

BUT. I call up Amazon to see how much it’d be to get it fixed, and they tell me there was no problem, they’d overnight me a new one, and to send the broken one back within 30 days. I’m not quite sure why, but I’m SO not complaining. 

I love Amazon.com.

Must-see BLACK SWAN International Promo Posters

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/gorgeous-promo-poster-set-for-darren-aronofs...

 

My review of BLACK SWAN

My mind is sufficiently blown. (Pseudo spoilers within)

My review of TOY STORY 3

A completely fitting finale to a landmark trilogy. And a warning: this review is sappy.

My review of THE TOWN

I initially intended on these reviews being brief. I’ve failed at that thus far…. but I’ll try it here.

Blake Lively can act? Huh?

My Review of THE SOCIAL NETWORK

As previously noted here and elsewhere, I am a big ‘ole geek. A Facebook movie? WHERE do I get my tickets?

I am probably the most plugged in person I know, so the notion of a Facebook movie got me REALLY excited when it was announced. I mean, how awesome is that? After a bit of thought though, I began to wonder if Facebook really exciting enough to make a movie about. I knew about the lawsuits about it, but those were all settled with fairly little hoopla, so I figured the movie, unfortunately, would be a dud. Then, however, names came out of the people involved: David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield… my excitement level was certainly piqued. The trailer came out, and suddenly it was official: THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. 

My initial concern with the movie starting out was the overall lack of conflict. Sure, the movie centers on a pair of high-stakes lawsuits Facebook faced as it took off, but neither lawsuits are really the stuff courtroom drama is made of. That, however, is the beauty of this movie: the absolutely brilliant screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin wove the past (2003-2004) and the “present” (2007) together beautifully, showing how “thefacebook” was born while simultaneously showing how it nearly died in court. Though any geek knows the basics of the Facebook story, Sorkin creates just the right amount of suspense needed to propel the film, building up to a quite appropriate conclusion. 

The other strengths of the film are its leading performances. I’d seen Jesse Eisenberg in a few movies before this one where he suffers from what I call ‘Nathan Lane Syndrome’ - the uncanny ability to play the exact same role over and over again, yet somehow making it completely appropriate for the movie (Michael Cera also “suffers” from this, in my book). In THE SOCIAL NETWORK, however, Eisenberg is transformed; the elements that make Eisenberg a likable actor are still there, but he was not playing Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. Wonderful performance. Justin Timberlake, too, was able to separate himself from his character, something I was not expecting. The real revelation, though, was Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, a role that could easily be played as a whiny, spoiled rich kid who pouts. Garfield, however, takes over the film, making the story as much about Saverin as it was Zuckerberg & Facebook. Wonderful stuff.

As noted, THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. In a year filled with some big time films for geeks everywhere, this was a pretty big thing, in my mind. Having seen them all, I would say that not only did the film meet my expectations, it vastly exceeded them. As I write this review, THE SOCIAL NETWORK stands as one of my top two favorite films of 2010, likely with the inside track for the Best Picture crown.