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Moonrise Kingdom, a review by Antares

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) 58/100 -

Moonrise Kingdom is one of those movies where I can be sure that I wouldn't enjoy the company of anyone who didn't connect to the film.

The above quote is taken from a post on the Wes Anderson thread over at the Criterion forum, and it encompasses everything that I find dis-interesting in Wes Anderson films and everything I find disdainful in his fanboys. The ever so present and defensively, in your face... "If you don't like his films, you just don't get it." kind of crap that has been associated with Anderson from day one. This film had so much potential, but is mired in Anderson's self indulgent universe of droll dialog, quirky characters and whimsy. But where this approach was fresh back in the days of The Royal Tenenbaums, it now comes across as stale and laborious. It's sad because this film has some beautiful cinematography, with some amazing color contrasts and a jaunty, whimsical music score that is let down by a lazy storyline. Yes, it's a coming of age story, and I did like the opening 20 minutes or so. But then it starts to become bogged down by the weight of its hipster characterizations and dialog. Bill Murray is as interesting as a plank of wood in his performance as the confused and distant father, character traits which seems to encompass every role he plays for Anderson. Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel are just filling out frames of the film, leaving only Ed Norton as the solitary adult character with any depth, believability or sincerity. As I was watching, I started to get a sense that Anderson was trying to recreate his own version of a Charles Schultz Peanuts special from the sixties, where the kids are profound beyond their years and the adults are only heard as indecipherable noise.

All in all, the only real enjoyment I came away from this film with was that they shot some of the scenes only a few miles from my home, and noticing many places where I hike on a regular basis was kind of fun. But I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that if I never saw another Wes Anderson film in my life, I would not feel cheated as a cineaste.

What the color coding means...

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on March 4th, 2014)

The Invasion, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: The Invasion
Movie Count: 6
TV Ep Count: 2
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 3:00pm
Plot:
Something terrifying has come to Earth, something that attacks us while we sleep and turns us into soulless replicants. The clock is ticking as Washington, DC psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) and her colleague Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig) embark on a heart-stopping journey into a nightmarish world where the only way to stay alive is to stay awake. No one can be trusted. No one is safe in producer Joel Silver's bold new take on Jack Finney's classic novel 'The Body Snatchers'.

Don't fall asleep! 'The Invasion' is here.

My Thoughts:
This is another complete blind buy. I picked this one up for 2 reasons. I always liked the story of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and I have always liked Nicole Kidman. So I had to check this one out. I have heard bad things about this movie all over the net... so I am not going into this movie with much expectations. Maybe that helped me... I don't know. But I really enjoyed this movie. I thought they changed enough of it to make it interesting... but at the same time left enough of it the same to pay homage to the versions before it. I thought Nicole Kidman did a really good job... and she is as cute as ever in it. I am really happy I added this one to my collection.



(From My Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2008 on October 2nd, 2008)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Weird Al Show: The Complete Series (1997/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Shout! Factory (United States) Length: 295 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
Ever since his 1983 self-titled breakthrough album, "Weird Al" Yankovic has been unsurpassed as a proven purveyor of parody and musical satire. His classic film, UHFTHE WEIRD AL SHOW, a cosmic inevitability.

Yankovic's signature warped comedy, original songs, TV and movie spoofs, offbeat animation and ability to attract a wonderful and motley collection of special surprise guests are what make the 13 episodes of this CBS Saturday morning show a treasure chest of all things Al.

As an inventor living in a secret subterranean workshop, Weird Al's world includes his pet (Harvey the Wonder Hamster), his superhero neighbor (The Hooded Avenger), the twisted animated "Adventures Of Fatman" and a roster of friends and guests, including: Drew Carey, Dick Clark, Dr. Demento, Stan Freberg, Teri Garr, Gilbert Gottfried, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael McKean, Bill Mumy, Patton Oswalt, Dick Van Patten, Emo Philips, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Judy Tenuta, John Tesh, Fred Willard and Dweezil Zappa.

Plus live musical performances by Barenaked Ladies, Hanson and of course, Al himself make THE WEIRD AL SHOW a must-have, timeless delight for all his fans.

The Weird Al Show
Season 1.01 Bad Influence
Writer: Al Yankovic (Created By), Heidi Atherton (Writer), Mark O'Keefe (Writer), Ron Weiner (Writer), Al Yankovic (Writer)
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Al Yankovic (Al), Brian Haley (The Hooded Avenger), G. Le'Roi Gray (Bobby), Stan Freberg (Papa Boolie), Donavan Freberg (Baby Boolie), Beau Weaver ("Channel Hopping" Announcer), Billy West (Show Announcer), Kevin Weisman (Spike), Patton Oswalt (Seymour), Julie Brown (Herself), Barenaked Ladies (Themselves)

This series was a hard thing to do for Weird Al Yankovic. He wanted to do something for adult audiences, but had to do a show for kids. The result is an undercurrent of a constant parody of a kid show. If you look at this show like that, you has some fun moments.
Highlight of this first episode is the "Harvey the Wonder Hamster" song and the musical guests "Barenaked Ladies".

Rating:



(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on November 14th, 2012)