Upton Saturday Night

When the Braves traded for Justin Upton, who will join brother B.J. and Jason Heyward in what is arguably MLB's most talented outfield, I got excited for the upcoming season. So much so that I signed up for Extra Innings again, after letting my subscription lapse for a few years. Like everyone else, I also latched on to the clever moniker "Up, Up, and a Hey" that someone came up with to describe our new outfield.

Another random thought popped into my head, and that's the 1974 comedy Uptown Saturday Night. I remember watching that flick (and its sequels) with my parents when I was a kid, and wondered if I could put together something that was an homage to that movie's poster, but featuring our new acquisitions.

The original movie poster featured three primary characters in illustration, perfect for an outfield, along with an extensive cast of characters on the side panel, well-suited to a baseball lineup including a starting pitcher and a closer. A little bit of surfing and investigating later (not unexpectedly, it's hard to find a good image of a movie poster from almost 40 years ago; plus identifying the funky font used, or something close to it, was quite a task) I put together the elements needed to create a loving tribute to a classic comedy and the 2013 Braves. My Photoshop skills aren't the greatest, and I worked some fairly lo-res images, but I think the end result turned out to be pretty fun.

Now playing: UPTON SATURDAY NIGHT

And to compare it to the original:

Needless to say, GO BRAVES!

Listen To Me!

Not a lot of blog posting lately, but I have been recorded chatting with some smart and fun people about things that should be of interest to you.

Winter is Still Coming:

We're getting deeper into the second season of Game of Thrones, and once again, I joined the gang from the Tuning Into Sci-Fi TV podcast for thoughts and analysis on the most recent episodes. We just recorded our take on episodes 5 & 6 Tuesday night (and that will probably go up this weekend), but to tide you over, in case you missed it, here's a link to our discussions on episodes 3 & 4 ("What is Dead May Never Die" and "Garden of Bones"):

You can find the podcast at the Tuning in to SciFi TV page for the episode here (for direct download and/or play in the browser).

Or, to find the feed for the entire Tuning in to SciFi TV podcast in iTunes, click here.

"Am I on speakerphone?"

I also joined Steph Smith and John Pavlich to talk about the gloriously inventive and funny Cabin in the Woods on John's SOFA DOGS podcast. You can find that here on his web page. Or in iTunes, for the full podcast feed.

Quick Non-Spoilery Thoughts on "The Cabin in the Woods"

I'll start with the simplest sentiment: go see this. See it now. Don't spoil yourself or read too much about it. Just go see it and trust that you'll have a terrific time at the movies.

Now, to address a few things I've seen on twitter or in comment sections:


"I don't like horror. Will I like this?"
I'm not what you call a horror fan. I do enjoy a few of the classics (The Exorcist, The Shining, Carrie, Alien, etc.), and have watched many of the 80s and 90s kill-the-teens slasher flicks (which, if you've seen, will make you appreciate just how much Cabin plays with genre tropes), but I don't go out of my way to see horror movies, and would put them toward the bottom of the genres that I enjoy. Given that, I enjoyed the hell out of Cabin, and would recommend it to horror lovers and horror neophytes without reservations.

"I don't like gore and blood and scares."
At the end of the day, this is much a spin on the genre as it is a "pure" horror movie, but it does have scares and character deaths. Judge your tolerance for such like this: it has as many "scares" as does a top flight episode of Supernatural, and as much (or less) blood and gore as an episode of Game of Thrones. This stuff is there, of course, but Cabin is in no way equal to things like Hostel or the Saw franchise.

"Well, if it's not shit-your-pants scary, then why is it a horror movie?"
I can't answer this without going into spoilers, but it plays with the conventions and tropes of horror as skillfully as any movie I've ever seen. Think along the lines of Shawn of the Dead or the Evil Dead movies.There have been a lot of comparisons to Scream, and while you could make parallels, the teen characters themselves don't consciously comment on the self-awareness of the typical horror movie conventions. Rather, the narrative and presentation of the movie itself does, though there is a (spoilery) explanation for why these tropes exist -- all over the world -- in the first place. HOWEVER, you WILL see many of the things you, as a viewer, have come to expect in a horror movie. Dark, forbidding places. Exploration and confusion filled with tension and dread. Supernatural creatures and acts of violence.


Additionally:

• It's FUNNY. I mean, laugh out loud funny. Yes, of course, the script is filled with your trademark Whedon wit, but there's also the comedy of recognition. Not just recognizing the average horror movie plot elements and tropes that are being paraded before you (though there are those in spades), but also the recognition that comes from watching the layers of the movie get peeled back, and peeled back and peeled back again until you honestly guffaw audibly in the theatre at the sheer scope and audacity of the thing. The casting is uniformly excellent (and Whedon fans will smile at the familiar faces), but Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford own this movie. Every moment they are on the screen is pure gold.
• The other thing that makes me adore this movie is what's going on underneath (and I don't mean that in only the literal sense). It has some amusing -- and thought-provoking -- things to say about free will, our increasingly voyeuristic society, and our complicity in the horrors of our entertainment. I won't say more than that to keep this spoiler-free, but I can guarantee there will be scholarly analysis of what this movie is putting down for years to come. But that makes it sound stodgy. Did I mention that it's just FUCKING FUNNY?

Bottom line: Go see Cabin in the Woods. Like, now.

Here's a twenty

Reading an entertaining post about classic Hollywood and Clark Gable, and in the middle of it, I come across this anecdote about actress Loretta Young:

Young was by all accounts an early version of Mandy Moore in Saved!, only minus the praise songs and feathered hair. Case in point: She carried around a “swear jar” on set and demanded that every time someone cursed on set, he/she pay a quarter “for the nuns.” (Spencer Tracy’s reply: “Here’s a twenty, sister. Go fuck yourself.”) 

THAT IS AWESOME.

De-Rezzed

A quick review of Tron: Legacy:

This is one of the most well-designed and gorgeous movies I’ve ever seen. 

Michael Sheen and Olivia Wilde are the only ones having any fun (including the audience).

The script is an abomination. I can’t believe anyone thought this made sense or was narratively interesting in any way before starting production.

Every girl, everywhere, should have Olivia Wilde’s haircut all the time.

Jeff Bridges went “method” with his acting. Except he thought he was still acting in Lebowski.

The score is fan-fucking-tastic. Download it now. It’s that good.

The “de-aged” Jeff Bridges resembles, and is as convincing, as Clutch Cargo.

Mirthy Quote

Was reading a roundup of end-of-year picks on Vulture (whole thing here) and got to this quote, which made me giggle uncontrollably:

That's all there is to the quote. But it really should finish...."on the other hand...well...there is no other hand."

Disappointing music morning

Trying to find some music online this morning, and was stymied. Specifically, I was looking for the choral performance of "Creep" that's been used in ads for The Social Network...




...and Bob Seger's "Beautiful Loser," which was used so well in last night's season premiere of Supernatural.

Neither was available via easy and legal means (i.e. Amazon or iTunes).

Sigh.

I'll take potpourri for $7,200, Alex

Time for some links of note:

7 Great Movie Endings Demolished by Test Audiences.

SFX looks at the Top 20 hottest names working in sci-fi now.

Empire looked at the possibilities of fictional bands playing the Glastonbury music festival.

12 great sci-fi speeches. (Note: if you're catching up on Buffy or BSG, beware SPOILERS). Also, they don't like the "Why I hate X-mas" speech in Gremlins? That's brilliant.

I live in one of the best places to live, apparently. I'll remember that when I'm flying "home" to Georgia every weekend in the fall.

8-Bit Trek. I really need this on a t-shirt. So fucking adorable.

Speaking of Trek, here are "14 things you didn't know about Star Trek." (I knew 10).

Paste lists their Top 10 sci-fi and fantasy shows of all time. And also their Top 11 most villainous sci-fi species.

SFX published the results of their Top 200. Lots of great geeky lists there.

It's rare that I agree with Glenn Beck, but yep, he's right. (Bonus points for the Jefferson quote which nicely sums up my political philosophy).

As you know, Torchwood is coming to US TV via Starz. (WooHoo!). And they've got a writing staff that resembles the '27 Yankees.

FINALLY, Coach and Mrs. Coach get a little Emmy love. About damned time. And the actors are just as adorable as you'd think they'd be.

Fun photo mashups: Firefly crew as original Trek, and Mad Men as Trek:TNG.

Digital Decorating

Got the new BlackBerry Torch 9800, and I'm LOVING it. (Review coming later next week). But one issue was that all the wallpapers from my Bold 9000 were rendered useless, because the screen sizes are different. Occasionally, I'll put some abstract patterns up, or a gorgeous photograph that speaks to me, but usually, I just let my geek flag fly and select a wallpaper that makes me smile. I spent a few minutes this afternoon downloading a few that will get me through the first few weeks of a new phone:


With new football and TV seasons coming up, I need to add a few more, but that's a good start, no?

Suggestions and artwork are appreciated, as always.

What I would go see at the movies this weekend

No, it's not a gauzy travelogue of self-discovery with Julia Roberts flitting around Italy and India, but I think this would be MUCH more entertaining:

To be, or not to be, y'all. That's the question.

Last night I was watching the Great Performances / PBS airing of Hamlet, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. It's a really, really terrific production, and Tennant's manic melancholy is perfectly suited to the titular Dane.

The set design and costuming is fantastic (and looks great in HD), and it got me to thinking. Hamlet is one of the best, and most durable, stories around, and has been adapted into a wide variety of settings. You had Olivier's Oscar turn in 1948. Franco Zeffereli produced an abridged version with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. Brannagh put together a four hour opus with a late 19th century setting. Ethan Hawke starred in another adaptation that took place in corporate America. The Lion King put an animal kingdom and African spin on the story. Sons of Anarchy is inspired by Hamlet, and places it in contemporary SoCal, in the world of outlaw bikers. Hell, even Strange Brew follows Hamlet.

But being a good Georgia boy, I wondered why we haven't seen a "southern" take on the story. Tragedy, familial dysfunction, ghosts, betrayals, dueling - all these elements would fit right in with a Southern Gothic setting.

It could take place in 1860s Georgia or Mississippi. Elsinore could be a large, prosperous plantation. Norway could be represented by the Union army. To take away some of the historically unsavory elements, we could set it in an alternate universe with no slavery (hey, Tarantino killed Hitler because it was more fun that way. Roll with me here). Or hell, taking that even further, it could be in a truly parallel universe, with the time period brought forward to a more steampunk, late 19th / early 20th century southern setting that kept charm and trappings of the Grand Ole South, yet afforded the story more leeway in terms of the surrounding set design and costuming. Wouldn't that be an interesting place for a timeless tale?

So who would we cast? Last night, I threw out this silly idea, and exchanged a few emails with a dear friend and we came up with some suggestions. The actors had to have "southern" roots, which was loosely defined as the "traditional" south, or even the southwestern states like Texas. And the ages aren't perfect, but that's never been a problem with the Bard. What would you think about:

Josh Holloway as Hamlet.

Alternates: Jensen Ackles.


Billy Bob Thornton as Claudius.

Alternates: Tommy Lee Jones. Hal Holbrook.


Holly Hunter as Gertrude.

Alternates: The late Dixie Carter. Sela Ward. Kim Basinger.


Amy Acker as Ophelia.

Alternates: Taryn Manning, Dianna Agron.


Ben Browder as Horatio.

Alternates: Jensen Ackles. Harry Connick Jr.


Kyle Chandler as Polonius.

Alternates: John Corbett. James Denton. Eric Roberts. Bill Paxton.


Jared Padalecki as Laertes.

Alternates: Kip Pardue.


Matt Letscher as Fortinbras.

Alternates: Matthew Fox.


Any other ideas for casting the Southern Gothic Hamlet? Or any suggestions on another, alternate setting for this classic story?

Nobody puts Tony Stark in a Corner!

From Pepper Potts Diary:



I bet Iron Monger wasn't in steerage:

I think a chainsaw for a hand would be invaluable in the NFL trenches

Here's a screen capture from this morning's Pro Football Talk headlines:



Bruce Campbell not drafted? The Chin?

You're telling me that an NFL team couldn't use the wily, mojito-soaked support of Sam Axe? The laconic smarts, furious fists and upstanding heroics of Brisco County Jr.? The manic, never-say-die evil fighting of one Ash Williams?

Listen up, you primitive screwheads, you must draft Bruce Campbell.

What about the Broncos? After all, the first time little Timmy Tebow gathers the players for a prayer circle, wouldn't this make a perfect response:

"Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things, right now: Jack and shit... and Jack left town."

Or when little Timmy loses his first game:

"That's it, go ahead and run. Run home and cry to mama!"

What about the Jets? Who can forget Joe Namath with Suzy Kolber? I think Bruce would have fared better:

"Gimmee some sugar, baby."

Or the Colts? Calling an audible at the line like Peyton Manning?

"Look, maybe I didn't say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah."

Or the Rams? As an offensive lineman, protecting Sam Bradford?

"Maybe. Just maybe my boys can protect the (QB). Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot. "

C'mon, NFL GMs. Make the right decision:

"Alright. Who wants some?"

Maybe not the Raiders. Al Davis looks too much like a Deadite.

Words of Wisdom

Here's a fun list from Wired of "100 Quotes Every Geek Should Know"

Most of the ones you would expect to be on there are on there. Here are a few favorites I find myself using that aren't quite as ubiquitous:

“Greetings, programs!” -Flynn, TRON

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” - Albert Einstein

“Okay. You people sit tight, hold the fort and keep the home fires burning. And if we’re not back by dawn… call the president.” - Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China

“Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and screaming.” - Ian Malcolm, The Lost World: Jurassic Park

“You can’t fool me! There ain’t no Sanity Clause!” - Chico Marx, A Night at the Opera

Go check it out. You'll nod and smile.

Movies you love more than others. Kind of.

Friday, during a double bill of Caprica (which is quickly becoming my favorite show on TV) and the Coen's A Serious Man*, and while quickly emptying two bottles of shiraz**, the subject of "movies you love more than others" came up.

*Despite not being a Jew, or religious at all, this is a fantastic and thought-provoking film. Whatever your cultural, ethnic or faith-based background, it IS the fucking Coen Brothers, the performances are perfectly calibrated and the comedy is pitch black. If you haven't seen it, go watch it now.

**Purely for "decoration" purposes, as my friend needed empty wine bottles for an x-mas light/bottle display. Of course, should we need to replace all the street lights in the local metro area with this same arrangement, we're here and ready to help.

"Movies you love more than others" is really not a good description. And it's not really "guilty pleasures," either, though that appellation could fit for some of the flicks discussed. We didn't really lay out a rigid set of parameters for the choices (which I know, is kinda against my sense of OCD, but we WERE making twinkle light lamp vessels!), but the subject spun off of our viewing of A Serious Man. That movie was nominated for an Oscar after all, and appeared on a great number of year end "best lists," so it's not without critical acclaim. But the Coens are an acquired taste for a great deal of the populace, the subject matter covered here could charitably be called "niche," the box office was miniscule and not everyone is a fan of black comedy. So the conversation was wandering into "I think I love this movie more than other people will" territory.

Here are a few other movies that came up. War of the Roses. Joe vs. the Volcano. Toys. Love & Death. Wonder Boys. Vanilla Sky. Certainly not awful movies, but movies that, for whatever reason, you like more than their mainstream popularity or acknowledged quality.

Then we kinda segued into "guilty pleasures," movies that you find yourself watching knowing full well that they are terrible. Like Deep Blue Sea or The Core.

Or movies that aren't particularly good, but have something that keeps bringing you back, like Kevin Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which I actually own on DVD for the spunky Marion and Alan Rickman's deliciously droll Sheriff of Nottingham. Or "cut-above" teen movies like 10 Things I Hate About You.

Finally, we talked about "movies that you watch almost every time they are on, even though you own them on DVD, just because you love them so fucking much." For me, there were some obvious choices here, like The Matrix, Caddyshack, Animal House, Raising Arizona, Pulp Fiction, Airplane!, Wrath of Khan, The Big Lebowski, The Incredibles and Casablanca.

Then there were others that, while they may be popular or have their own passionate followings, you seem to adore more than a lot of other people. Like Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China, Serenity, Excalibur, The Prestige, Minority Report or Contact. (Or, for example, the fact that we both think Vertigo is our favorite Hitchcock film, when many others would choose Rear Window, North by Northwest or Psycho. Though I do love those, too).

As a thought exercise, it was a little frustrating, given how amorphous the criteria was for selection. I mean, no one would say that Pulp Fiction is an "overlooked gem" or that Airplane! is a "guilty pleasure." A more analytical way to approach this might be to develop more clearly defined categories. Like:

• Your most rewatchable movies.
• Movies you love more than the general populace (comparing, for example, where you rank a movie on FlickChart compared to its overall ranking there. Or your passion for it compared it its box office).
• Guilty pleasures.
• Legitimately great movies that didn't get their due (from either critics or audiences).

But hey, we were drunk, and at the end of the day, we generated a list of flicks that we love and want to watch over and over again.

So what about you? What movies do you love "more than others?"

So...I finally saw Avatar

Given the worldwide box office, I may very well be the last person on Earth (or Pandora) to have seen Avatar. By now, I'm sure you've seen it (and decided if you want to want to paint yourself blue and hug your hometree or just hope that preening egoist James Cameron heads back to the bottom of the sea to find that damned necklace) and read just about all you want to read about, so I'll keep this brief.

What I liked:

• Oh, believe the hype about the visuals. Avatar is a damned impressive spectacle, and every single detail is beautifully realized. The Na'vi don't necessarily cross the "uncanny valley" (and neither did Gollum or King Kong), but things looked real and had substance and weight. The flying sequences alone (on dragon like creatures) are worth the price of admission.
  
• James Cameron knows his tech. Or at least, how to "fake" his tech. And by "tech," I mean the tech in the world of the movie. The guns, the ships, the computer displays, the vehicles -- everything has just enough of an echo of the real world to make it all seem lived in and completely plausible.
• The 3D is unbelievable. It's not silly "look, it's coming atcha!" gimmicks. It's totally immersive and like being there.
• The world building, while a bit of a simple minded riff on the Gaia myth, is incredibly well thought out.
• Zoe Saldana rocks. But we all saw Uhura, so we know that, right? She's feisty, fierce and kinda hot for a tall, half naked blue cat. She totally sells the character, and you can see emoting and all the subtlety of a performance.
• Sigourney Weaver rocks, too. But we also all know that. In fact, almost all the of the cast gives compelling performances.
• Cameron can shoot some action. It doesn't matter if it's on location, on a soundstage or in a hard drive created out of pixels, the action is muscular, thrilling and edge of your seat stuff. And while there are a few draggy slowdowns, the slam bang set pieces more than make up for the lulls.

What I didn't like:

• Yep, it really is "Dances with Smurfs." For all the high tech and alien trappings, Avatar is a (blue) paint by the numbers retelling of John Dunbar and the Noble Savages.
• I'm not quite sold on Sam Worthington. His American accent is spotty, and I'm not sure he has the charisma to pull off leading roles that require more than gruff and brooding. (I thought he gave a better performance in the latest Terminator flick). He's not bad, and in fairness, Cameron didn't give him much to work with in the dialogue department.
• Speaking of, the script -- other than the high tech concepts and deeply considered world building -- wasn't any great shakes. The lines were tired and cliche, and none of the characters did anything except exactly what you expected of them. There was barely a hint of wit, and certainly not a line I'm thinking of a couple days later. Contrast that with my personal best Cameron film, and one of my favorite and most watched movies of all time, Aliens, and I can still rattle off quotes over two decades later. (Just check out the IMDB "memorable quotes" section for Aliens and see how many still make you smile).
• The score, by frequent Cameron collaborator James Horner (who has somewhat of a reputation for, kindly, "repurposing" familiar elements) is trite and derivative. It was so distracting, that every time the first two notes of a motif used all too often throughout the film played, I half expected Worthington's Sully and Saldana's Neytiri to start making out on the Lido deck while Billy Zane ran around with a pistol and a bad wig.

So, did I like Avatar? Yes, and kinda. As a "spectacle" and ground-breaking piece of visual eye candy, I give it an emphatic A+. As an original, well-scripted and captivating film (technical merits aside), I give it a C-.

Thoughts on BSG's "The Plan"

After watching the DVD release of the Battlestar Galactica movie "The Plan," there are only two conclusions you can come to about its worthiness for viewing:

1. If you're a fan of the show (even one disappointed by the finale), you'll probably love the "The Plan."
2. If you're not a fan of the show, and are looking for a stand-alone BSG experience, you won't have a clue what's going on and it will leave you scratching your head wondering what all Peabody-winning, Top 10 List fuss was about.

Much like BSG's other foray into supplemental moviedom ("Razor"), "The Plan" constructs its narrative out of out of gaps in the four season run of the seminal show. Where "Razor" gave us an entirely new character as an audience POV, Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen in a breakout performance), "The Plan" centers mainly on the motivations and actions of the Cylon Cavil from before the attack on the colonies, up through the time the Cavils were discovered by the fleet to actually be Cylons and airlocked. (Man, how I've missed frequently using the word "airlock"). Dean Stockwell, as expected, is captivating as the various Cavils, showing different flavors to his malevolence as his incarnations scheme to cleanse the universe of the human pestilence. There's also nice work here from Rick Worthy, who plays the Cylon Simon/Number Four, seen only occasionally during the run of the series. He gets some nice moments to play as one version of Four is with the fleet, and has established a relationship with a human woman and her child, while yet another is on Caprica with Anders and his team of Pyramid playing resistance fighters. (Sadly, we don't get much insight to his version of Four that was working on "the farm," nor does the movie provide any insight to the reasons behind the ovary harvesting taking place there). Though we do see some of the other Cylons behind the scenes (mostly via pick ups from the show), only Tricia Helfer also gets some significant new material to play as Number Six (her gum chewing, trashy version of Six is particularly inspired and funny).

So does "The Plan" really reveal anything monumental and heretofore unknown about the motivations and mechanics of the master Cylon plot? Not really. But for fans of the show, it's an engaging and interesting look at the Cylon's struggle with their nature and the ramifications of their decision to wipe out the human race.

Additionally:

• The special effects here are breathtaking. We get some gorgeous shots of various colonial planets before the fall, and during the robot holocaust. Also, the scenes of the basestars mounting their attack are stunning, and on par with anything you'll see in a huge budget theatrical release. Plus, lots of toasters!
• Edward James Olmos is the director here, and he does a terrific job. There are some significant action scenes that are well handled, but he also demonstrates a knack for effectively showcasing his very able cast in the quieter moments. He also deserves a big "attaboy" for seamlessly blending the old footage from the show (in tone, look and feel) with the new material filmed for "The Plan," often combining the two for a more revelatory expansion of a critical moment we've seen before.
• Jane Espenson's script fills in the details nicely, giving us resonant character beats, particularly from Cavil and Four. And of course, as Espenson usually does, she bring the funny (which was often missing from BSG over the course of its run). Cavil has always had a prominent snark subroutine, and "The Plan" is no exception ("Let's get this genocide started!"). His interactions with the other Cylons in the fleet are priceless, and Helfer's new "slutty Six" also gets some choice bon mots. (Worth noting is that when Helfer started with BSG, she was a former model with little acting experience, but it's amazing how she grew with the show and has consistently displayed some serious acting chops. Her handling of the difficult material, and showing different shades within a single model of Six AND across multiple models of the most multidimensional Cylon, is very impressive).
• Bear McCreary's score is, as always, stellar.
• Here's a tiny easter egg for you, that should delight fans of the original series:

Go to the extras menu
Highlight the Admiral to Director featurette
Now navigate to the right with your remote
You should see the BSG Seal appear – hit enter

Given how "The Plan" is so intricately woven into the fabric of the series, I'd give it an A- for fans of the show, and a C- for noobs. It doesn't answer all the lingering questions (but really, did anyone think it would?), but it's sure as hell entertaining, and makes me want to break out my series DVDs all over again. So Say We All.

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

One of the things I noted in my original review of Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie was that I would wait for a DVD that contained all the footage filmed that the director wanted to include, as well as a complete integration of the parallel "comic within the comic" Tales of the Black Freighter. Well, that DVD version has been released as "The Ultimate Cut." If you want to read my take on the movie as it appeared in theatres, you can find that here.

If you're a fan of the comic, and enjoyed the movie, then "The Ultimate Cut" is a must own. The additional filmed material adds depth to the story, and except for a few transitional quibbles, the inclusion of the Black Freighter animation works pretty damned well as a alternate media metaphor for Adrian Veidt's savior complex. In revisiting my original review, all the criticism and praise for the film is still pretty accurate for this expanded version. A few updated thoughts:

• I was pretty harsh on Matthew Goode's portrayal of Veidt (C+). Upon further reflection, I would probably up that a bit (B-). I saw more shades in his performance the second go round, though I still think he telegraphed his motivations more than he should have, and his arrogance wasn't quite as "altruistic" and "pure" as the comic depiction.
• Malin Ackerman's Laurie is still lovely, still poorly written, and still woodenly acted. Amy Acker would have been a fantastic choice to play Laurie, and would have completely rocked the mix of self-loathing and powerlessness necessary to make Laurie something more than a cardboard cutout.
• The music choices are still too obvious and jarring, and become more so on a second viewing.
• The old age makeup, while still problematic, isn't as bad on the small screen.
• I wanted more scenes with the newstand vendor and the kid reading the comic, and this was one of the major additions to this cut. The characters raise the "human stakes" of the film's conclusion, as well as giving us a reason to transition into the Black Freighter comic.
• Speaking of which, I think the hand drawn, animated version of Freighter was well done, and ably performed by Gerard Butler. I would have preferred a more graphic filmic transition into and out of the comic (ostensibly, using computer animation to morph to the comic prop into the world of the pirate cartoon).

Other than that, the film still remains an ambitious, if slightly flawed, passion project that probably comes as close to realizing Watchmen on the screen as we could have hoped for. I haven't yet listened to the commentaries (from Snyder and comic co-creator and illustrator Dave Gibbons), but the other DVD extras are simply stellar, particularly the "Under the Hood" faux-documentary (which features a brilliant and heartbreaking performance from Stephen McHattie).

All in all, a great addition to the DVD collection and a definite "buy" for fans of the property. Movie: A- DVD: A+

Well worth 6 minutes of your time

I linked to this in one of my previous "potpourri" roundups this summer, but it deserves a revisiting. The fine and witty folks over at Pajiba compiled a great list of the "Other 100 Best Movie Quotes of All Time." (compared to the classic, if a bit expected, lists usually assembled by AFI or some other organization).

The list itself is a good one, and includes many I reference on an almost daily basis. Well, their video editor went a step above and beyond, and compiled them all in video form. Enjoy:

TV Quickies

USA's In Plain Sight is a mildly entertaining diversion, but the best reason to watch that show continues to be the droll wit of Fred Weller's Marshall Mann sidekick. Oh, and the show's creator is leaving after this season, and doesn't sound exactly happy about it. At least he's taking Jinx with him.

Speaking of mildly entertaining summer diversions, I like the cast of Leverage, but can't for the life of me figure out Beth Riesgraf. She's either one of the worst actors on television who can't facially convey normal human emotions in any scene she's in, particularly when she's not the center of focus, OR she's absolutely brilliant, giving her somewhat mysterious and off kilter character perplexing line readings and throwing exaggeratedly muggy (and adorable) expressions from her visage.

The Dollhouse DVD is fantastic. "Epitaph One" is truly the mind-blowing revelation you've heard about, and pulls brilliant, heartbreaking performances out of everyone involved (especially Topher!). And the original pilot is much, much better than the aired pilot, with 100% less head-scratching hostage negotiation. The special features are entertaining, and similar to what you've seen on other Whedon discs. (I hope to catch the commentaries later this week).

I had a coupon for a free movie on DirecTV on demand, and used it on the third Underworld movie. If you're going to watch a silly, blue tinted movie about the emancipation of werewolves, it certainly helps to have thespians Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy around to chew scenery and class up the place a bit. (Pouty Rhona Mitra as an undead kickass princess doesn't hurt, either).

The Burn Notice finale was great, though I did think they wasted too much time this season with the woefully miscast Moon Bloodgood as Det. Paxson. Some online reaction was surprising, in that people complained (SPOILER) that Michael shot Strickler "in cold blood." First, Strickler had a gun on him, so it wasn't exactly "cold blood," and second, I was glad that Michael took direct action against a rather unsavory character. Too often on Burn Notice, the bad guys wind up arrested or humiliated or driven out of town. I think that someone with Michael's background wouldn't hesitate to put someone down if they needed putting down, unless the act itself interfered with completion of the mission or hampered his long term plans. And while he was killing things that needed killing, he could have shot all the Irish accents that came out of a community theatre production of Darby O'Gill and the Little People.

Similarly, I've been catching up on Bruce Campbell's one season cult classic Brisco County Jr., which is a trippy Wild Wild West like show combining frontier adventure with dollops of sci-fi (it was co-created by Lost EP Carlton Cuse, if that tells you something). It's a fun show, particularly for fans of The Chin, but I think at the time it might have played things for the kids too much, since hardly anyone ever gets shot - on a show full of bounty hunters and quick-drawing gunslingers.

I also decided to pick up some reruns of Sons of Anarchy on FX, and after the first two eps, I have to say it's quite intriguing. Don't know why I missed this first time around, but it shows quite a bit of promise.

Speaking of FX, I think I've mentioned this before, but I blazed through the entire series run of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and it's got to be one of subversively funniest things I've ever seen. It's absolutely, gloriously politically incorrect, and for that, I love its shriveled, dark heart.

Warehouse 13, SyFy's new (Bones + X-Files / The Librarian x Friday the 13th: The Series) show, gets better each and every week. It's really well cast and a lot of fun, though the writing (and plot machinations) could use some tightening.

So, Paula Abdul is off American Idol. To which I say, thank Zeus. Look, the other two chair fillers to Simon's right are just as inept. Randy is a self-absorbed ("Did you know I worked with Mariah, dawg? And I toured with Journey?") fountain of idiotic catch phrases ("for me, for you" "molten hot" "work it out" "aiight" "dawg") that doesn't do a think to elevate the contestant critiques. Given her background in the industry and CV, I had hopes for Kara. But whether it was her role as the "fourth wheel" on a panel that tended to drone on already (when it wasn't interrupted by witless audience reaction, wasting even more time in already overstuffed shows), the criminally incompetent directing and production that actually reduced the meaningful content of the shows (the singing) while allowing it to consistently bloat beyond all reason and fuck with DVRs all across America, or her own cosmic gift for malaprops (Studio 57, for example) and incoherence ("early" Aerosmith and "artistry"), she didn't exactly make a great first impression. Still, given a choice of whom to boot among Kara, Randy and Paula, I would have given Paula the pink slip. The former have more "credibility" on their actual resumes than Paula, a performer never known for her "vocals" (or production or songwriting) anyway. And I prefer my entertainment scripted if I want to watch someone strung out on pills (Greg House), verbally incomprehensible (Tracy Jordan) or endearingly supportive (Hurley). Personally, I would have wiped out all the judges sans Simon and started over, but hopefully, given the contract situations, that can be taken care of after next season. (Kara had a one year option picked up, and Randy is signed through next year). Almost anyone would be better. What about Elton John? Jody Watley? Susanna Hoffs? Or my personal choice, Harry Connick Jr. (mentioned back in a 2008 "how to fix Idol" post, along with some other fixes for common Idol problems). Initially the silver lining (inside of the gold lining of 86ing the less intellectually gifted half of the duo who sang "Opposites Attract") in all this was that we'd be back to a somewhat more streamlined panel of three, instead of the performance eradicating blight and bloat of four that submarined much of this last season. However, the producers have stated that they plan to press on with four judges in a yet to be determined fashion, whether it be with a permanent replacement or rotating guest judges (such as they're doing early on with Posh Spice and Katy Perry). Sigh.