Real Steel is Rock'em Sock'em Robots with a bit more Entertainment

Real Steel (2 1/2 out of 5 stars)

Directed by: Shawn Levy (Date Night, Night at the Museum, and Cheaper by the Dozen)

Written by:John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, Jeremy Levin 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, and Dan Goyo

 

In the future the sport of boxing will no longer involve humans fighting.  In 2020 boxing will involve humans controlling robots and the robots fighting one another, or at least according to this film.  Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman)is a former boxer who is attempting to find success in the new world of boxing, but has found no success.  Soon Charlie finds out that the mother of his son has past away, and he is forced to build a relationship with his son Max (Dakota Goyo).

I went into this film with incredibly low expectations, and assumed that watching robots that resembled the fun child's toy, Rock'Em Sock'Em robots, which were created in 1964.  The film was filled with cliches, like the "villains" who were super campy, and controlled the robot that could not be beat, Zeus.  I enjoyed that the film had depth and went into the development of the father/son bonding, and avoided the cliche of the aunt fighting for control, although her character and her husband were verging on silly (I can't believe Hope Davis said yes to that role).  There was also the token love interest Bailley Tallet (Evangeline Lilly), whose father was Charlie's boxing coach.

Once you go beyond the camp and the cliches with the movie, this was actually far more entertaining than I expected.  Jackman was charming, and always does well is this type of role, but the real star was Goyo.  Goyo was fun to watch and gave this film more character and heart than it could have had with a lame duck child actor.  The film finds an interesting pace in matching the heart of the robot, Atom that Charlie and Max end up fighting with.  The robot fighting is not as cheesy and makes for a sheer fun experience.

Breaking Bad Breaks all Boundaries

I have been catching up on the television show Breaking Bad on Netflix.  I did not start watching the show when it first aired so I have always been behind, and it does not come out on DVD until a newer season is out on AMC.  Breaking Bad started in 2008 and stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White.  The original premise to the show followed Walter who was diagnosed with cancer, and in order to pay his bills he starts making and selling crystal meth.  Walter is a middle aged chemistry teacher who does not know the ways of the drug world so he forms a relationship with Aaron Paul's character Jesse Pinkman.  The two men form of the most unlikely duos but their relationship is one of a father/son relationship.

Cranston is brilliant as the suffering yet manipulative Walter White.  This is one of the best anti-heroes in television history.  You want to root for his character to live, and keep fighting, but he is making his money in such a terrible way.  Throughout the first couple of seasons Walter's wife played by Anna Gunn (Skylar White) is mislead by Walter on how he gets the money to pay for his treatment.  Skylar and Walter's relationship becomes complicated as the seasons pass and his secret becomes more and more obvious.  The other complication with Walter's new business is that her sister is married to a DEA agent.  Dean Norris plays Hank Schraeder, Walter's brother in-law a character who has evolved over the years.

The other focus of the show is the drug world and the world of Jesse Pinkman.  Jesse is a burn out who takes/uses every drug imaginable, but gets connected with his former chemistry teacher and they start a business creating the best crystal meth and muscling out the big drug dealers.  This character is a loser, but he has grown into something more complex through the portrayal of Aaron Paul.

I have rarely seen a show improve as the years go by, but Breaking Bad breaks transcends typical television show norms.  The third season of this show is the best season that the show has ever had (I have yet to see the latest fourth season).  I have seen shows have strong seasons throughout their history, but this show only gets better and better.  With strong acting, writing, and directing I am blown away by every episode of this show, and the emotional levels the viewer can have.  This is another AMC show that proves this network is on fire with creativity, and blows HBO out of the water these days.

Travels with Kevin Part 1: Love and Death on Long Island

While I was away from Boston this weekend I came up with a new series entitled Travels with Kevin.  The title of this series is an homage to the great American author John Steinbeck.  John Steinbeck wrote some of my favorite books, and one of the things I loved about his writing was that his books captured America so well.  Steinbeck wrote “he was moved to see his country on a personal level, since he made his living writing about it.” 

I think films do such an amazing job highlighting cross sections of American living, but the pictures they paint sometimes neglect the specific of the inhabitants, and cultural undertones.  Steinbeck wanted to ask the question what are “Americans like?”  I would like to use film and my own personal experiences in specific places to help create my own understanding about America.

I have written some about New York City, but most of my weekend was in Long Island.  Long Island is the place I went to college (CW Post).  This island was home to one of the great American poets Walt Whitman, but it seems the people around the island celebrate and have a greater love for Billy Joel.

Long Island has become a place where people go to escape the hectic world of New York City.  The rich head out to the Hamptons in the summer and host lavish parties, and gay (mostly men) head to Fire Island to hit up circuit parties.  Long Island is filled with a beauty and despair.  My best friend lives in Port Washington a town that segregates itself from others, a town like many in Long Island.  Long Island is not home to just wealthy people, but towns are split and so segregated this allows little interaction between different classes, races etc.

Long Island has such great beauty and worth but a small percentage give a large percentage of the perception.  Not everyone on the Island is a reject from the Jersey Shore, but Jon Stewart’s interview with three men who wanted Long Island to secede from New York does remind me of many of my classmates in college.  Long Island ‘s beauty can be measured in connection with the far East and place like Montauk.

Love and Death on Long Island (1997) stars John Hurt as Giles D’Ath a British author who has lost his wife, but while going to the movies one day stumbles into an tasteless American film and falls in love with Ronnie Bostick (Jason Priestly) an American heartthrob.  The film shows the beauty of Long Island  painting a picture of this beautiful place.  

There is also this image of America as a society that is more open to dealing with social mores like homosexuality.  Like within the book "Death in Venice" this author leaves a society of stuffiness (Great Britain) and comes to a country that honors different cultural trends.  While on Long Island this past weekend and when I was in college I did not look at the area as a bastion for open-mindedness, in fact I am puzzled by the comparison of this Island as place where people go to surround themselves with others like them.

I think this film represents an interesting concept about popular culture in America as well.  The films Ronnie stars in are mindless films, the typical stuff that caters to young viewers.  America has an obsession with superficial things like youth and beauty, and this film set in Long Island represents the power that has on everyone.

October: Must See Movies and Movies to Skip!

Today is the first day of October, and I did not see many films in September, but I was right on with my predictions.  Drive was a great film, the best films I saw in September.  I want to still see Moneyball and 50/50, but have not gotten around to see them.  I did get around to seeing The Lion King re-released in 3-D, which brought me around to my childhood.  I hope to see 50/50 this week, but now that October has started I have to make my game plan, and help you make some good decisions.

October 7th 


Mindless Action vs. Thought Provoking Political Drama (I pick the obvious choice): 

Must See: The Ides of March starring (and directed by) George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Paul Giamatti looks to be the best film of October.  The Ides of March is my pick of the month, and ironically stars Ryan Gosling like last months must see film.  I have been looking forward to this film and I think it will not disappoint. I think Real Steel looks awful.

Skip It!: Hugh Jackman's stars in Rock'em Sock'em robots the movie (Real Steal-the actual title).  This film looks just awful!

October 14th


The Horror begins for the Month of Halloween with the scary movie, The Thing and another terrible Nicolas Cage film.

Must See: The only film that looks worth my time is Pedro Almodovar's La piel que habito or The Skin I Live In starring Antonio Banderas.  This film looks dark and twisted, and I am hoping Almodovar is back to making better films.

Skip it!: Where do I start?  The Thing looks stupid, while Footloose (the re-make) is pointless, while the combination of Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson looks painful, and Nicolas Cage and Kidman are starring in a Joel Schumacher film that looks worse than the re-make of Footloose called Trespass.

October 21st:


Things get even scarier with with Paranormal Activity 3, a Three Musketeers Movie, and Red State a movie about conservatives.  My close call for pick of the month is Martha Marcy May Marlene.


Must See: Martha Marcy May Marlene looks so great, and the trailer is perfect because it provides the right amount of information without giving too much away.  The movie follows a girl as she tries to assimilate back to her family after she was a part of a cult.

On the Fence: I liked Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, but I am not sure if this series will go downhill like the Saw series.   Paranormal Activity 3 may just be a movie I see because of the Halloween season.

Skip It!: The Three Musketeers and Red State look scary bad, and a waste of my time!

October 28th:


Might be a weekend I just Trick or Treat!

On the Fence:  In Time has potential and Timberlake is gaining leading man status, but I am not sold on this film.  I think The Rum Diary trailer makes this look like an incredibly commercial film (and my prediction a flop), Fear and Loathing was good, but I do not buy this follow with all the delays and post production problems.

Bridesmaids Revisited: It's a Fritz Bernaise Ladies!

On my way down to Manhattan I put one DVD in my computer and that was Bridesmaids.  While writing about wedding movies I do not know how I could have forgotten about one of my favorite funny movies.  I asked my friends who have been maid of honor or bridesmaids or even brides if they had similar moments like in the film.

My one friend Emily I work with said she had a similar situation at a wedding a la her being the Annie character (Wiig) and this bridesmaid being the Helen character, the girl who tried to use her connections and step in to wow the bride.

The interesting thing about weddings is how stressful they can become, and that is mostly because of money or family influence.  Obviously in the film it had to do more with money and changing friendship.  When Emily told me her story it made me think about my friends, and the weddings I would going to in the future, and how friendships do change (Helen is more right in the film).  How do we as friends maintain a close relationship as our friends move forward and I move forward in different places?

Wiig's character Annie and Rudolph's character Lillian Rudolph still have a close relationship, but there is a divide that begins.  The move farther a part, they become part of different social classes, they have new friendships, and of course there is the marriage factor.  Once people become part of a couple their single friends often do not lose their place but their role becomes different.  Couples like to do things with other couples for some reason.  Sure, the singles will still be invited, but their role in the other person's life changes somewhat (different degrees with different people).

To be fair the film is not that deep, but it got me thinking deeper, which is a high achievement for a film where the characters shit in a sink, and make people laugh non-stop.  For me this is one of the most entertaining movies of the year, and I hope they don't make a sequel and ruin the effect of the film.

Movies that Center on Weddings

Tomorrow I am heading to Manhattan  to spend time with friends then I am off to Port Washington to stay with my friend Lauren, then off to a wedding in Riverhead to watch my friends Tara Daverna and Brian.  I met Tara her first semester of college at CW Post and we have been friends ever since.  I am so excited to watch these people get married, and it of course made me think about some of the great films that involved weddings.

My personal favorite movie that involves a wedding is My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) which starred Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Ruper Evertt.  Julia Roberts plays a food critic who realizes she loves her best friend (Mulroney) and decides she wants to break up his wedding.  This is one of the few movies where I find Cameron Diaz bearable, and Rupert Everett is hilarious.  This film has so much charm, and is incredibly endearing.

My next favorite movie about a wedding is The Philadelphia Story (1940) with the greats Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and of course Cary Grant.  Hepburn plays Tracy Lord who is about to get remarried, but her ex-husband (Grant) and a tabloid writer (Stewart) show up.  This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.  The wedding itself has a central role in making Hepburn's character grow and deliver one of her best roles.

There is of course My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Wedding Crashers, and even The Hangover centers around a wedding, but the above two are my favorite.  I am excited watch my friend Tara walk down the aisle, and hopefully her day will be amazing!

Fall Premiere Week Reviews: What Shows Shined and What Fell Flat

I love the Fall for several reasons: pumpkin and apple flavored everything is one of the best reasons.  I went to Brunch this past Sunday and had pumpkin flavored pancakes, and then had apple cider.  The fall is also the time when television shows launch their fall television line ups.  During this time period I test out my returning shows, and try out some new shows also.  This is where I determine what shows to give up on and what shows to add.  At the moment it looks like I will continue with all of my returning shows and add a new show or two, which is not ideal to my night time agenda, but here we go!


Tuesday September 13th

The Ringer (CW) Apart from the terrible green screen shot, this show's camp elements and wonderfully casted Sarah Michelle Gellar had a solid start.  Even after the second episode a week later I was still hooked.  I think this is a show I am going to continue to make sure is part of my weekly agenda. Grade: B

Monday September 19th

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)  This show has lost steam.  I am going to continue to watch, only because I am invested in the characters, and I become more invested in characters in sitcoms, because they tend to stay throughout the run of a show (unlike procedural dramas-see Law & Order: SVU listed below) Grade: C

2 Broke Girls (CBS) I love Kat Dennings but between the first and second weeks this show has lost me.  Dennings is hilarious and this show seemse tailor made for her, but I am not sold that it has lasting premise with a terrible supporting cast. Grade: C- Dennings: B+

Tuesday September 20th

Glee (FOX) The show bounced back mildly from a flat second season.  The story lines were linear, the songs were on key, and they cut excess characters.  The show tends to start things and not finish them, and I hope this season changes that pattern.  I still think they are having a hard time writing for Jane Lynch. Grade: B

The New Girl (FOX)  I loved the show.  Zooey Deschannel is my girl crush and her quirky awkward sense of humor mixed with bro humor is a perfect match.  The shows characters are solid, and the premise works! Grade: A-

Wednesday September 21st

Modern Family (ABC) There were funny moments, but the vacation episode felt more novelty, and that ABC wanted to collaborate with The Middle's vacation theme.  The second episode was solid as well.  This is a well crafted show, and the characters are great. Grade: B



Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit (NBC) This show without Stabler is missing something, and the network should have known that.  No new characters can alleviate the void.  The problem with procedurals is that characters matter!  The show is longer full of as much energy as it used to. Grade: D

Thursday September 22nd

Community (NBC)  I love this show, but the start wasn't not as exciting as it could have been.  I think this show always picks up as the season progresses, and I hope that is the case.  Otherwise, I may be saying goodbye to Greendale! Grade: B-

Parks and Recreation (NBC) Parks and Recreation had a solid start.  The Leslie story had a lot of heart.  Ann being sent penises from members of city hall was a riot, especially with the reaction the Jerry from the doctor.  Ron Swanson was also great as Ron fucking Swanson, and Tammy 1 stole the ending! Grade: B+

Sunday September 25th

The Good Wife (CBS) I have to applaud this show.  Every year this show starts and has a new energy.  The characters are great, and part of me wishes Kelli Giddish stayed with this show instead of SVU, but alas she chose poorly.  I like the courtroom drama, but this new tension between Peter and Alicia, and the chemistry between Alicia and Will is going to be dynamite. Grade:A-