Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

I'm in! I love Hate, and most people will at least know the director of this as the "Gimme the cash!" guy from The Fifth Element...

            The Summer blockbuster season has arrived with a sonic boom. Marvel Comics’ Iron Man makes his CGI-tastic debut in this opening volley from Hollywood. Fans of the comic will be pleased, I think, and popcorn eaters the world over will rejoice in this new breed of super, but not too fanciful, hero. Be warned, it is next to impossible to review this film properly without spoilers, so stop reading if you want to be surprised.

            When Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) came on the scene in 2004, it was like the stoner-comedy had come full circle to 1978. Gen-Xers finally had protagonists they could identify with, and they came in a multicultural, totally un-PC packaging. The film had little to say beyond showing that stereotypes of race or economic status where completely baseless. In Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, our plucky, pot-smoking heroes do more to show the ridiculousness of post 9/11 racism and still keep us rolling in the aisles.

            With procedural dramas all the rage on television these days, it is no wonder that someone in Hollywood would want to bring that success to the silver screen. Hire some amazingly attractive actresses, get Al Pacino to star in it, and you should have cinema gold, right? 88 Minutes, however, proves that there is a flaw in this logic, one that someone should really have thought of before going into production.

            When I first picked up Grotesque from my local library, I had no clue that I even wanted it. Truly, my wife decided that it looked like something I would like to read. I had never heard of the author, and by reading the dust jacket I thought that I was in for a slightly more feminist retread of any of the Ringu series by Koji Suzuki. As usual, if I would just calm down a little bit and think, I would not have these botched first impressions. This book is about jealousy, power, sexuality, and cultural differences. This review is about misconceptions and how they almost forced me to stop reading one of the most satisfying books I have read in a long time.

Today it was discovered that Charlton Heston, that God among men, had died at his Beverly Hills home on Saturday evening. He was 84 years old.

            Back in 2004, there was a film from Thailand set loose upon an unsuspecting populace. The film dealt with the world of “spirit photography”, and what it could actually be. Then, in 2008, the American public got a tepid remake of the film that originally shocked audiences worldwide, and there was no rejoicing. Even fans of Joshua Jackson were saddened. However, thanks go to the wonderful folks from Tartan Video for their “Asia Extreme” series, which finally brought the much-heralded original to American shores. Now, maybe the rest of us can see what all of the fuss was about, eh?

            Stop the presses! Cary Grant has returned from the grave, only to possess George Clooney’s body and resume his acting career. His latest effort, Leatherheads, proves that the bygone star hasn’t lost his taste for classy comedy or his knack for the perfectly delivered punch line.

So, I suppose you may be wondering why this review of The Mist on DVD was relegated to a blog entry. Well, since I had already reviewed the theatrical version before, I thought that this would be appropriate. Plus, it just gets it into your grubby hands faster.