I must admit I'm not the biggest PJ fan. And the new trailer for The Lovely Bones makes this movie actually seem moderately interesting. There's just something about his illustrated book cinematic style that really puts me to sleep. But at least the CG looks somewhat compelling in The Lovely Bones. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not familiar with the source material, so I'm open to the possibility that this will be a really cool flick. I hope there's not too much Peter Jackson approved slo-mo in this one. That gets real tiresome real quick. Here's a look at some of the scenes ***spoilers*** of heaven:






I'm really digging the way this looks, hopefully the more amazing elements of this story will be perfectly suited for PJ's Polar Express style of computer graphics, though it seems he borrowed more from Tarsem's vocabulary.

POTENTIAL SPOLIERS!

Funny People, in these reviewers’ eyes, is not a dramedy. Like all the previous Judd Apatow movies, it’s mostly jokes. It’s pure comedy. It’s really only mature in its subject matter: a lonely, bitter, unhappy, desperate man (celebrity) trying to cope with his impending death. This is the first plot, the third act goes into a new direction having to do with Sandler’s character trying to win back the love of his life after becoming well again. Unfortunately for him, though, she’s married and has two kids. The only real dramatic moments in the film, I guess, involve Adam Sandler shouting at Seth Rogen a couple of times. I’d expected more.

But the movie does deliver when it comes to jokes, and there are plenty of jokes. Crude, tasteless jokes. Vulgar jokes. The kind a guy like me can really dig. All of the main characters in the film are comedians. Some are already established in the comedy world (Adam Sandler), while others are potential up and comers (Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill).
If you’re looking for a little insight into the world of stand up comedy this would be the picture for you to see. Judd Apatow, the director, used to be a comedian himself who also wrote jokes for comedians Roseanne and Tom Arnold.

The comedy in the film is typical of a Judd Apatow movie. There’s lots cursing and talk about male and female genitalia, masturbation, relationships, geeks and nerds, and a whole lot of movie and pop culture references. But some of the best gags for me came from the celebrity cameos, of which there are many. My favorite one would have to be James Taylor’s appearance with Seth Rogen’s character where he ends up using a lot of “blue” language, if you know what I mean. And Eric Bana, for the short time he’s actually in the movie, is hilarious as well playing a moody Australian traveling salesman grounded in eastern philosophy.

What’s atypical about this Apatow picture, and what I found to be the most enjoyable aspect, are the characters themselves. I’m used to seeing Seth Rogen playing lazy, sarcastic stoners, incompetent deviant police officers, or mentally unstable, date raping mall security guards, but in this movie he actually plays a very amiable, hard working, compassionate guy whose doesn’t smoke pot once! Adam Sandler on the other hand is the complete opposite of Rogen’s character: he’s a very mean, angry, and empty person. But, of course, he does have his redeeming qualities, which we see towards the end of the film. Sandler hasn’t played anyone this grumpy since Happy Gilmore.

Funny People is a decent film. Not my favorite comedy from this year (that cherry goes to Land of the Lost!), and not even my favorite Apatow movie, but it’s not terrible either. I certainly wasn’t bored. This is probably Adam Sandler’s best role since Punch Drunk Love, and Seth Rogen has shown us he has the acting chops to take on a role different from what we’re used to seeing him in. So it’s not all bad. My only disappointment was that Funny People wasn’t as big a leap forward in maturity for it’s director/writer, Judd Apatow, as I’d thought it would be.

Episode 11 of the Media Fix Podcast:
Listen on iTunes.
In this episode we have a rather uninformed discussion about Tron 2, and we talk about plenty of new trailers.
Trailers can be seen here.

BTW, here's the television we discuss.


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Here is an interesting take on the controversy surrounding the price hike of Modern Warfare 2 in Europe (the game will now sell in that region for roughly $90 YIKES!).

Industry analyst Chris Deering suggests that blockbuster game titles will have to be priced around $116 to maintain profitability.

Are people willing to spend that kind of money on games in this yo-yo economy? Are the spit-polished HD graphics and Hollywood quality soundtrack really worth two weeks of groceries (and that's bachelor's groceries, mind you). My guess is no.

So what is the answer to the game industry's woes then? Mind you, I'm no expert, but here are a couple of obvious suggestions...

SUBSCRIPTIONS! SUBSCRIPTIONS!

Activision has two of the worlds most popular online video games on market (World of Warcraft and Call of Duty). One of these titles is subscription based, one is not. How much longer do you think you'll be fraggin' for free every month on COD? Much like WOW, Call of Duty has become a gaming platform unto itself. It's only a matter of time before they start charging $15 a month to play.

CHEAPER BUDGETS/CHEAPER GAMES BOTH IN-STORE AND ONLINE

With the advent of digitally distributed games via popular online services like Steam (PC), XBOX LIVE Arcade, WiiWare, and the Playstation Network, it is now proven that a company can make nice profit off of smaller, low budget games that range in price from $5-$20. This could very well be the blueprint for the future of industry, only for one thing: This business model only penetrates the part of the market that is connected to high speed internet.

Why not take some of these fantastic budget priced downloadable games like Battlefield 1943, Geometry Wars 2, or Braid, slap them in jewel-cases with nice color booklets and sell them at retail for a couple bucks more than their digitally distributed counterparts? I bet that the fanboys would even double dip in some cases.

It's hard to say what the gaming landscape will look like in the next 5 years but I'm guessing the most popular titles will be either significantly more expensive or cheaper than what we're playing now.

Remember when Nintendo 64 games were $70? Don't even get me started on the price of Neo Geo games. *SHUTTER*

Okay, even though I hate to admit it, some times nostalgia gives me the warm fuzzies. And the prospect of a Thundercats live-action movie makes think back to my childhood and that cartoon I can barely remember. Since this project is in-development, little has been divulged, but fortunately some concept art slipped through the cracks. What do you think?

On Hulu, for a very limited time, you can watch '45365', which is a documentary of sorts that captures the story of life in a small town. The small town is Sidney Ohio which is actually the home town of the filmmakers, which explains the level of access this movie has. It's a lot like being a fly on the wall of this community. It remains consistently interesting, which was a big surprise for me.
It's very odd checking in on this community and it's even more strange how quickly we, the viewer, are tempted to be judgmental. But anything out of context seems strange, and most of us are quick lash out against that which we don't understand. Maybe that's just me. Maybe people will be more sympathetic, or empathetic rather, than I was. The truth is, this movie walks the fine line between celebrating the thing that it's showing and making it into a unfavorable spectacle. I think, ultimately, it's respectful but some might not agree.

It's a very limited engagement so, if you're interested, be sure and catch it before August 6th.

I also got a chance to watch Food Inc.

This movie is one of the most satisfying documentaries I've seen in a long time. I have to own this when it comes out on DVD. Maybe it's just a case of being in the right place at the right time because I've recently been reading a lot on the subject of food production. I could tell from the audience was deeply affected by the documentary, at times gasping and other times snickering. I'll hold off on saying whether or not I think this is a really "good" documentary or not, because at the moment that's besides the point. What I will say, and I realise this is totally biased, is that this documentary is extremely important to watch. I felt all warm and tingly inside afterward.