The Informant!

I'd like to point out that the theatre I saw THE INFORMANT! at left off the ! in the title and I am still baffled by this. The title is short enough to fit a ! on the digital displayed show time listings, yet it's mysteriously absent. The ! in the title is just as much a part of the title as the word, THE.

Regardless, I digress. THE INFORMANT! is one of those movies that I can't put into words why I didn't love it. It has the right ingredients for an excellent picture.

1) A great director with Steven Soderbergh

2) Matt Damon packing on extra pounds to play the role of a character based on real events.

3) A timely subject matter

4) A clever script that keeps you guessing up to the final scene

Still with all these elements, I just didn't love the movie. When friends have asked me if it's worth seeing, I keep telling them it's worthy of matinee cost but not full admission prices. Why? I can't figure it out.

How about you in the blogosphere world? Why doesn't THE INFORMANT! work on every level to be an A worthy movie instead of a solid B? Please, let me know. With all the film schooling I've had, I can't dissect this film and figure out why it's flawed outside of the film not having any sympathetic characters to latch onto.

Dobler Rating: B

Final Thought:

The most confusing movie I've seen this year. Simple movie, but i didn't love it and I want to know why I can't fully recommend it to people!

Cloudy w/ A Chance of 3-D Meatballs!

If you liked MONSTERS VS ALIENS, you should LOVE CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS. Why? It's simply because it's more sight gags, a pretty damn clever script and a ton of awesome 3-d worthy moments that helps launch the Sony Animation division outside of Blue Sky's ICE AGE films.

As conceived by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, CLOUDY departs from the classic children's book of the same name and goes extra zany. Seriously, if we live in a cinematic age where there is no such thing as a good live-action spoof comedy, CLOUDY may be animated, but it owes its genre roots to the spoof comedies like AIRPLANE and NAKED GUN that have come before it. Just like in those spoof comedies, there are a ton of sight gags plus an over ambitious ending that settles for a ton of action and steps away from the funny. Yet Lord and Miller are smart enough to leave the pop culture references to a minimum in CLOUDY and overpopulate the film with timeless jokes, that won't grow old with age and it should be able to stand the test of animated time.

DOBLER RATING: B

FINAL THOUGHT:

Just a purely fun movie with a good heart that may not be a Pixar giant, but does what it does so nicely it's hard not to go out of your way for an extra serving of meatballs (yeah, I had to go there).

short takes

I have been watching a lot of TV lately and thought now was about the right time to chime in with my take on some of the things that have peaked my interest.

MODERN FAMILY

HYPE: BELIEVE IT

WHY:

If not just for seeing Ed O'Neil back on prime time TV in a FUNNY performance, watch the show cause for network TV, it pushes buttons. How many network shows have a guy family adopting a Korean baby than introducing said kid to her grandparents via the 'Circle of Life' song from THE LION KING? Exactly, NONE!

PILOT: A-

POTENTIAL: A-

FINAL THOUGHT: This is one to watch. With catchy phrases like WTF = 'Why the Face' and two gay guys doing a 'sports guy chest bump' to pump themselves up for their in-laws coming over, what's not to love?

FLASH FORWARD

HYPE: You better believe it!

WHY:

David S. Goyer has taken his cinematic style and transfered it over to the small screen in one of the best drama/thriller pilot's since LOST. Yeah, it's that good. Where will it go after the shocking TIMEQUAKE like experience in FLASH FORWARD? Who knows and who cares, I am totally along for the ride.

PILOT: A

POTENTIAL: A

FINAL THOUGHT: FLASH FORWARD is like when LOST hit the air, people thought there was no way the series creators could sustain a plot for more than a few seasons and I can see the comparisons, but come on people, we are talking about David S. Goyer here! He will totally make this show work!
EASTWICK

HYPE: Can the old John Updike novel and former movie with Jack translate to a small screen hit? If you like DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, all signs point to yes.

WHY:

Welcome to ABC's backlot, I mean Eastwick which looks like a small town near Vermont. Sex, magic and a whole bunch of gossip litter the town of Eastwick in a semi-entertaining way, but not entertaining enough to keep me watching in the weeks to come. This show is clearly aimed for a different demographic than myself, so I will get the updates from my Mom on why I should watch instead of spending my time watching just okay media.

PILOT: C+

POTENTIAL: C

FINAL THOUGHT: A DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES like show that Rebecca Romijn's always on display cleavage isn't even enough for me to tune in for the 2nd episode next week.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

HYPE: SEINFIELD!

WHY: SEINFIELD!

EPISODE 1: B just for introducing lines like 'empty gestures' and 'apricot' into the mainstream.

POTENTIAL: Get rid of the Blacks, family that is, and get to the SEINFIELD reunion and all will be fine.

FINAL THOUGHT: With the introduction of cancer into a character's life this season, I'll be tuned in to see how far Larry David crosses that fine fine line of wrong humor.

COMMUNITY

HYPE: Some of the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT team makes a comeback!

WHY:

Joel McHale and Chevy Chase totally sell this show. There are a lot of TV/movie references in the pilot and second episode, but they are so sharp and witty it doesn't matter. This show has the potential to reach the zaniness of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT but in a more familiar scenario, like 30 ROCK.

PILOT: A-

POTENTIAL: A

FINAL THOUGHT: My favorite comedy on network TV of the new season (I don't count GLEE as a comedy, it's more of a musical dramedy). Regardless, you SHOULD be watching this show!

Bored to Death

Seriously HBO, you have now struck out twice in your last two series; 'Hung' was an unfunny disaster and now 'Bored to Death' is more of 'it's not TV, it's just pure shit.' There's nothing redeeming about this 30 minute series that is sandwiched between the much funnier 'Curb' and 'Entourage.' Poor acting, poor pacing and awful writing make it feel like you are watching a student film or something more suited for network than the usually far edgier HBO.

How can a show with such talented actors like Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis fall flat on its face so badly? I blame the creator and refuse to even discuss it any further in this blog entry. It just sucks ass that bad!

Dobler Rating: D

Final Thought:

I'm just saying, instead of spending money developing piles of shit, HBO should just go out and get the rights to 'Pushing Daisies' and resurrect that fallen series with a bit more edge.

Jennifer's not-so great Body

The best comment my film teacher told the class back in Phoenix was, 'if a movie has a great soundtrack with a lot of current artists, the movie is probably going to suck.' There are of course exceptions to this rule, like 'The Graduate' and 'Ghost' yet for the most part, 'Godzilla,' 'Batman Forever,' and now 'Jennifer's Body' all have fantastic pop soundtracks with a 'meh' worthy movie to follow.

Megan Fox is hot. The world knows it and Diablo Cody takes full advantage of her with a semi-entertaining script that even allows for a lesbian scene that will leave teenage geeks in sci-fi softcore porn heaven...or should I say hell.

The film has the wit and knows the horror genre it is spoofing, yet it never rises above its cheesy B movie trappings to be anything more than a lot of sex, violence and 'Diablo 'Speak.' These are not the issues with 'Jennifer's Body,' the source of the problem is the script plotting. The movie spends far too much time with characters talking cleverly, leaving not much more than 15 minutes for Amanda Seyfried's character to finally take control of the situation. That's right. We get a mere 15 minutes or less of pure Megan Fox vs. Amanda Seyfried action in 'Jennifer's Body.' The reason? Poor plotting and story structure. With another rewrite this thing had potential to be a solid cult classic horror flick as is it's just an excuse to see a lot of 'near nude' Fox shots.

Dobler Rating: C

Final Thought:

'Jennifer's Body' is direct-to-DVD material disguised as theatrical entertainment. Skip it then save money by looking up near nude shots of Megan Fox online and start following Diablo Cody on Twitter to get the same daily dose of wit her movie only semi-offers.

9

Potential. It seems to be in my vernacular more and more these days. The potential + the hype of a movie is greater than or less than to how much you like it. For example, 'District 9' was the perfect movie that combined a well calibrated hype machine with a ton of potential for its finished product into a well executed genre movie. Everything was equal to. Whereas with '9' the potential of a short film by Academy Award nominated Shane Acker with producer Tim Burton onboard to make the feature lead for a slew of potential. Then came the hype on what I will argue with anyone as the best action trailer thus far in '09. But the actual result is not as great as all the fuss is about.

'9' is flawed. The post apocalyptic setting and the intrigue as to how these sock puppet like creatures are created is all there. However, the action sequences and bland dialogue tend to weigh down an interesting concept and visual style, making for a more generic film than it should be. Shane Acker knows how to direct action. In fact, Michael Bay should watch every action sequence in '9' and take notes on how less is more along with the simple notion that every single meaningful action shot does not have to be in slow motion.

Dobler Rating: B

Final Thought:

'9' plays like watching 'The Corpse Bride' over seeing 'Nightmare Before Christmas.' Both are good movies, but only one is the classic and unfortunately, '9' does not live up to either its hype nor its potential although Shane Acker is definitely somebody to watch for in the future of filmmaking.

GLEE!!

There are two types of people in this world according to Fox programming. Those that like the zany antics of 'Ally McBeal' and those that do not. If you are in the do, you are going to LOVE 'Glee.'

It has been awhile since a show encompassed the sexual awkwardness of being a teen with full fledged dark humor and full on song and dance numbers. Wait, has there ever been a show that successful did that for teens? I honestly can't think of one off the top of my head.

Regardless, I am intrigued to see how Ryan Murphy can stretch out a full season worth of 'Glee' beyond the singing and the dancing, especially if each episode is going to be a full hour.

Dobler Rating: A-

Potential: A+

Final Thought: This show could be the next big breakout hit, here's hoping Fox doesn't cancel it 'Firefly' style before it truly has a chance to spread its wings.

09/09/1999

Do you consider yourself a gamer? Do you remember where you were on 09/09/1999? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you probably remember in amazing detail what is and will always be the best launch of any video game system. List of a few choice titles:

NBA 2k

NFL 2k

NHL 2k

Soul Caliber

Sonic Adventure

Power Stone

Hydro Thunder

Those are just launch titles. We are talking about 6 games that helped define a system simply in its launch. That's unheard of in the video game industry. With no sports licensing from EA, Sega developed their own in-house sports titles that proved to be far more realistic than anything EA had ever created. The players moved like their real life counterparts. The playbooks were all taken from each of the individual teams. The graphic animation was less flash and more realism, which created some of the best early sporting franchises in the history of gaming.

But I digress from a sports tangent and on to what Sega really did that revolutionized the gaming industry with the release of the D-cast. It was two very simple things.

1) They took chances on games that normally would never see the light of day.

Shenmue. A 4 disc masterpiece of gaming that for its time was one of the most ambitious games to date.

Seaman. A failed attempt to try and allow users to interact with a weird smart-ass creature that grew per how they took care of it.

Jet Set Radio. While gaming systems were moving forward with more advanced 3-d graphics, Sega kicked it old school with this cult classic using cell shaded animation that's just as beautiful as any modern video game (even Zelda switched to this style after Sega dropped this roller skating hit).

Space channel 5. A dance game where you have to out dance aliens that are taking over your space station would have many saying, 'WTF?' But when you start playing, the game has some of the most responsive play controls and has an infamous cameo by Michael Jackson grabbing his crouch towards the end.

Power Stone. A fighting game with interactive battles for up to 4 players! Every environment was interactive. If you saw an item on the screen, you could pick it up and attack your opponent with it.

Chu Chu Rocket. The first console online puzzle game and it was so addicting it could give Tetris a run for its money.

JoJo's Bizarre Aventure. A sidescrolling 2-d fighter that had a humping monkey. Come on Nintendo, why did you pass on this game? It's classic!

Virtua Tennis. The tennis game that every tennis game that came after it based its controls on. You would not be playing Wii Sports Tennis if it wasn't for Virtua Tennis introducing the world to a sport that plays like 'pong' in the videogame world, but with more depth than a RTS.

2) It was the first TRUE online video game console.

If you look on the front of the D-Cast, you'll notice a logo for one of the biggest computer companies in the world; Microsoft. Yup, that's right. Sega had Microsoft in its pocket for D-Cast before it failed and Microsoft went its separate way with the X-box. Yet, without the D-cast, gamers would not have the current x-box live. D-cast paved the road for what is considered the standard for online gaming. I remember playing my first NBA 2K game online against a total stranger. It was then I realized how gaming can connect the world, just like the social networks do of today. Me and a total stranger playing a game not on a computer. How freakin' cool is that?

So if the D-cast is so well remembered, why did it only last for a measly 2 years? The answer lies in SEGA. They messed up. They over inundated gamers with one hardware system after the next so by the time the D-cast came out, gamers were burned out by Sega and switched gears to the PS2. It wasn't because PS2 was the better system, with its hardware failure, overheating and one of the weakest launches in gaming history. It was simply Sega's mismanagement of their hardware (I know it sounds like something out of a porn). Out of all the old gaming systems that still live under your bed (X-Box, PS2, 3D0, Atari Jaguar, N64), how many do you still want to actually physically play? That's right. Only the D-cast holds that soft spot in your heart.

So today, on 09/09/09, instead of going out and buying a new copy of 'Rock Band: Beatles,' going to buy the 'Beatles remastered Edition' or going to see '9,' take a moment and if you still own a Dreamcast, dust it off, pop in one of your favorite discs and remember what will always be remembered as one of the best video game consoles ever. It had a shorter life span than most of your ex-girlfriends, but keep in mind how often do you talk fondly about your ex's and how often do you get chills as you remember the classic one-on-one moments you shared with that old friend living under your bed...

Overlooked Gem now on DVD

I was not a fan of 'Half Nelson,' by the directing husband/wife team, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film was more of an actor showcase for Ryan Golsing, along the lines of Robert Duvall in 'The Apostle.' With 'Half Nelson,' Boden and Fleck made a low budget picture about a damaged man (isn't it always a damaged man in actor showcase films?) that earned Gosling an Oscar nomination and gave them some fleeting clout around town. I LOVE when writer/directors go the unconventional route after making a first feature that gives them a name. Boden and Fleck could've made a studio pic, but instead they focused their attentions on a movie with all unknown actors mixed with real people and shot in two different countries, five different cities in what has to be one of the most heartbreaking and authentic sports movies to come along since 'Hoop Dreams' (BTW, 'Hoop Dreams' was a documentary and this is a narrative piece).

With 'Sugar,' Boden and Fleck' have made a movie with the same authenticity as 'Maria Full of Grace.' There's a message here about the hopes and pressures foreign athletes have placed upon them to succeed yet that message is never shoved down our throat, it is only hinted at in the background. What starts off as a formulaic baseball movie becomes something much greater than the cliched genre sports picture the viewer is expecting. From the inviting colors of the Dominican Republic to the harsher uninviting tone of Phoenix and Iowa, we follow Miguel on his journey to the states and this non-actor carries the movie on his shoulders in what's easily one of the most reflective performances of the year.

The plot of the movie is simple: a baseball player from a poor family in the Dominican Republic comes to the states to work his way up from the minor league to hopefully play in the majors. This is essentially your rags to riches story that every sports movie follows, yet in 'Sugar' it never feels cliched. The film has the look and feel of a documentary and at the same time is narrative filmmaking at its finest. Boden and Fleck let the actors breath life into their scenes and by doing so you don't feel like you are watching actors, but real people in real situations.

Dobler Rating: A-

Final Thought:

The biggest compliment I can pay to 'Sugar' is I hate baseball and it's still one of my favorite films of the year. Rent this movie now and fall in love with one of the most heartfelt unpredictable sports movies possibly ever made.

Stephen King's It

If you were under 14 when 'Stephen King's It' miniseries played on television and stated that it didn't scare you, you are quite simply a liar. One thing stands out in every child's mind in the now dated Stephen King semi-classic, Pennywise. Those teeth. The hair. The freaky 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' make-up job. The balloons. You get the point. He was freaky. I remember not being able to watch the whole movie as a kid. I'd have to leave the room when Pennywise came on and if I remember correctly I slept with the light on for a week or so after my initial viewing. Tim Curry's 'Pennywise' struck more terror in me than Freddie Kruger or Michael Myers. After all, it's a freakin' clown! I didn't go to the circus for a long time after viewing 'It' for the 1st and only time back in the late 80's.

So on a overheated day in Pasadena, when there isn't a movie playing of interest at the cineplex I decided to once again check it out and see if it holds up over the test of time. Well, it doesn't. Boy, oh boy has this movie gotten cheesy! It's nowhere near the cheesy not able to holdup to today's standards 'The Monster Squad,' but it's up there. If you remember 'It', you know that the 1st part was the flashbacks of the grown-ups having to get back together to fight off the monster from the small town they grew up in. The second part was basically the grown-ups of 'The Loser Club' hanging out determining if they are going to kill it or not. What I found amusing about this concept is how contrived the whole thing plays out. There's scene after scene with dissolves to the past and characters stating salute worthy 'Captain Obvious' dialogue that rings completely untrue. When the 1st part ends, I came to the conclusion there's no possible way they can stretch this film out for another 90 minutes and they do, oh they certainly do.

Yet with all the cheesiness aside, you can't hide the fear factor that Tim Curry created as Pennywise. Mention that name to any 25 -- 30 year old and see what they think of. I guarantee they won't think of the ska band nor the character from Twisted Metal 2 that drove an ice cream truck. If you bring up Pennywise, expect somebody to tell you, 'kiss me fat boy,' in a creepy Curry like clown voice. Does this make the movie a classic? Heck no. Does it make Tim Curry's performance every bit as creepy and downright good as any of the other classic horror villains like Hanibal Lector or Jason? Heck yes. His performance still holds up what is a pretty outdated flick that will be shelved on the 'nightmare' section of my DVD collection.

Dobler Rating: C

For a better time, fast forward to the creepy parts with Pennywise in 'It' and watch another midnight showing of 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' instead.

Extract

Has it really come to this Mike Judge? You used to be edgy. Your creative works in the past, even when they were failures, at least had a message or pushed people's buttons. Yet with your latest extended unfunny episode of 'King of the Hill,' I mean 'Extract,' you have officially fallen a bit from the top. The concept here is clever enough. You have everything your typical Mike Judge flick needs:

1. A lead character who has no balls, but kind of grows a pair by the end.

2. A group of offbeat rednecks/southern folk who are smarter than they look because they mean well.

3. Drugs and sex

4. No lead female character that peaks any interest. I'd like to see Judge write just 1 female character outside of Peggy from 'King of the Hill,' since she's essentially written like a man (with the big feet and all).

With all of these typical Mike Judge ingredients, there isn't hardly a laugh to be had in this episodic sitcom like movie that never truly finds its groove. With 'Office Space,' Judge proved he knows how to turn a group of bumbling stereotypical idiots into loving characters. It worked so convincingly well in 'Space,' not only because of the awesome group of actors, but because he created stereotypes of people most average Americans see at the office workforce. In 'Extract,' we don't have any character to latch on to except for Ben Affleck, who turns in a Sean Penn like Spicoli performance as the lovable stoner who tries to push Xanax onto his friends as the cure for any problem.

Tone. It's that simple. This latest Judge offering is a film in desperate search for its tone. One minute you are in a slapstick drug comedy and the next you are in a midlife crisis movie as Jason Bateman tries to discover if his wife is having an affair on him. Judge had a similar problem with 'Idoicracy' and it has this movie lover wondering if it's Judge's fault his movies haven't lived up to 'Office Space,' or if it's too many cooks in the kitchen, with studios trying to shape his films into something they are not.

Dobler Rating: C-

A funny trailer that doesn't live up to its potential and marks a second strike against Mike Judge. One more and he's out in my books.

World's Greatest Dad

Movies have been using pop songs to help convey emotions long since the era of 'Garden State' and 'Donnie Darko' like cinema. Would 'The Graduate' be as good of a movie if we didn't have Simon and Garfunkel's classic songs behind the key emotional scenes? If I was a magic eight ball it would read, 'all signs point to no.' The same can be said about 'World's Greatest Dad,' from writer/director/high pitch voice guy, Bobcat Goldthwait. There are about 5 music sequences in this overlong comedy that help elevate the emotions to another level, especially one truly haunting scene with The Deadly Syndrome's 'I Hope I Become a Ghost.'

I wanted to love 'World's Greatest Dad' but really, I just liked it a lot. It got me thinking about how you can make an effective low budget film, land a big star and get a bit of national attention for a edgy thought provoking dark comedy. I'd go into the plot details on the film, yet the trailer specifically goes out of its way to avoid to tell audiences what the film is about. What it does advertise is dirty Bob Saget like humor and it delivers on that front, with a wonderfully reserved performance by Robin Williams along with a pretty heavy message by Goldthwait that doesn't go into Hallmark/Lifetime preachiness.

Dobler Rating: B

Final Thought:

I'd like to say RUN out to see this flick in theaters now, but really, this is the type of movie that plays better on DVD. Everything in it feels 'small' and perfect to watch in the comfort of your own home.