Hong Kong Phooey

Cult Film, Movie

Generally a cult film is one that has minimal popular appeal but has a great following with a select group within the public sphere. This genre generally has a following on college campuses or late night audiences.

Kung Fu Hustle is a cult movie.

I am not in the cult.

Summer Movies

Sometimes the anticipation turns out to be the best part of a movie.

And so, for my blog's first top ten list, here are the ten summer movies I'm anticipating the most.

Obviously it doesn't mean all of these will turn out good, although I certainly hope they do. The danger of anticipation is that it often turns into disappointment. In the summer of 1999 Eyes Wide Shut and The Blair Witch Project no doubt would've been at or near the top of my list. The Sixth Sense wouldn't have even been an also ran. But at least it's always fun to be surprised.

I'll return to this list film by film throughout the summer and then I'll take a look at the whole thing again by the end of August. Hard to believe but that's only four months away.

1) War of the Worlds - I'm not sure I could be more excited for a movie than I am for this. The trailers are fantastic, Cruise and Spielberg already have one excellent sci-fi collaboration under their belt and there are rumblings this will be Spielberg's return to big, flashy, damn scary entertainment, a la Jurassic Park. I can't wait. Seriously, I want to see it now.

2) Batman Begins - I haven't been a very big fan of Hollywood's current comicbook craze (I couldn't care less about this summer's Fantastic Four) but right now I'd line up for anything directed by Christopher Nolan. It doesn't hurt that the cast here includes Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy and Tom Wilkinson. And hey, I like Batman. I think this one might turn out quite good.

3) Mr. and Mrs. Smith- There are a lot of reasons I should probably keep my expectations low for this one. Angelina Jolie has one of the worst track records of any talented actress working today. And right now the big thing most people know about this movie is the relationship of its stars is now unofficially official. But I like the idea of Jolie and Brad Pitt together onscreen, no matter what they're doing offscreen. And The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman knows good action movies.

4) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Again, there are some warning signs here. Tim Burton's last two movies have been Big Fish and Planet of the Apes. I didn't like either but the remake was worse. And now he's back with another remake. A remake of a movie I really like. But Burton seems to be a good fit for this material, and the movie not only stars Johnny Depp but also his exceptional Finding Neverland costar, Freddie Highmore. Burton and Depp is a combination that hasn't missed yet in my opinion, hopefully this won't change that.

5) Howl's Moving Castle - Summer's only high profile animated movie is Dreamworks' Madagascar. And it looks awful (although I'm a poor judge of those things, most Pixar movies look bad to me at first too). But this foreign import, from legendary Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki (his last film was the excellent Spirited Away), should deliver the animated goods. It's already played festivals and had an international release to great success and acclaim.

6) Bad News Bears - There are several grown-men-coach-kids'-sports comedies this summer but the only one that looks worth a damn is this, the second remake on my list. Bringing together the director of The School of Rock, Richard Linklater, and the star of Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton, for the story of a gruff coach who works magic with a baseball team full of delinquent kids sounds like a brilliant idea. Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden are also along for the ride but a lot will depend on the kids. Considering the fantastic casting job Linklater did on School of Rock there's not much cause for concern.

7) Me and You and Everyone We Know - My designated rep for summer at the art house is this quirky indie comedy. Across-the-board exceptional reviews, a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and acceptance into an important sidebar at Cannes suggest this 90 minute film debut from performance artist Miranda July (co-starring Deadwood's John Hawkes) is something special. I hope so.

Art house runner-ups: fellow Sundance prize winner and Cannes selection Junebug, docu Mad Hot Ballroom, Sundance sensation Hustle & Flow, foreign films My Summer of Love, 2046 and Somersault, and not-well-received-but-I-may-see-them-anyway Sundance pics Happy Endings and Pretty Persuasion.

8) Romance & Cigarettes - Another indie pic, but one so intriguing it deserves a slot of its own. John Turturro is directing James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Eddie Izzard and Elaine Stritch in a musical. I'd be more encouraged if this was going to Cannes but no matter what I won't miss it.

9) The Brothers Grimm - This bit of weirdness from Terry Gilliam was delayed by Miramax from a planned release last fall. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger star but the big draw is Gilliam, who at least comes up with something unusual, if not always brilliant, every time he makes a film. And if this one sucks, Gilliam's already finished with his next film...

10) The 40-Year-Old Virgin/The Wedding Crashers - Two comedies that are already being talked up as likely summer "sleepers" (although Wedding Crashers' buzz is now so loud it will be a failure if it doesn't reach $100 million). They're both promising R-ratings and they star current comedy mafia members Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn (Crashers) and Steve Carell (Virgin). I just hope they're funny, and it'd be nice if at least one was actually smart too. Mike Judge's long awaited, and currently untitled, follow up to Office Space is also on some summer release schedules and could be funnier than either of these, or not. Check back in August.

Also of possible interest: Jim Jarmusch's Cannes competitor Broken Flowers with Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Jessica Lange, Jeffrey Wright; Walter Salles' horror remake Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly; Robert Rodriguez's first non-Spy Kids kids movie The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D; zombies galore in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead; Catherine Hardwicke taking on The Lords of Dogtown; Michael Bay (ew!) directing Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson (sigh) in The Island; Rachel McAdams trapped on a plane with Cillian Murphy for Wes Craven in Red Eye; Keira Knightley kicking ass in Tony Scott's Domino; Diane Lane and John Cusack hooking up for romantic fluff in Must Love Dogs; and Nicole Kidman giving summer comedy another try after last year's shameful Stepford Wives, this time with Will Ferrell, in Bewitched.

What's going on?

So my least favorite contestant from the very beginning gets voted off of Idol and... I feel sorry for him?

How did that happen?

I guess this is how it happened.

For Scott to still be in the running while week by week the show has lost Jessica, Nikko, Nadia, Anwar and now even Constantine... It's baffling.

Sure, Jasmine Trias and Nikki McKibbin both sucked and they made it to the top three in their seasons but at least they had distinctive musical styles. Scott doesn't even have that, unless "ass" has become a distinctive musical style and no one told me.

But will Scott make it to the top three?

Part of what made me angry beyond belief last night was that he didn't even make the bottom three. Although he was this week's worst performer he still got more votes than Anthony and Vonzell. Neither of them were very strong this week but my god at least we know they can carry a tune. For all we know Scott may have got more votes than Carrie or Bo, or both.

Beware the giant, scary baby. He's coming for us all!

Please America, Do the Right Thing

Tonight's Idol gave a lot more ammo to the "no one's exciting this season" whiners.

No one was exciting tonight, but I'd say it had a lot more to do with the most boring group of songs ever picked by Idol contestants than with actual talent or ability.

This probably should've been Carrie's week but she's sounded far better. Which is a little unfortunate because she looked more comfortable than ever before (maybe just because she was singing her kind of country).

Mixed results also for Bo, who proved two things by performing Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be" (aka the One Tree Hill theme song): he can definitely hang with the "NOW" music crowd and contemporary pop rock songs sure are b-o-r-i-n-g.

Everybody else was bad, bad, worse and even worse. Vonzell retreated to her earlier shaky vocal days, even if only Simon noticed, and Anthony needs to give up trying to power sing and stick to the dance tunes.

But whoa, was Smeagol knocked down a peg or what? Going back to his faux rocker beginnings only underlined how awful he is. (Seriously how hard is it to improve on a Nickelback song?? It's freakin' Nickelback!!) If only the producers had the guts to put him on immediately following Bo, or immediately before, so the gap between the two would've been even more obvious. At least all the judges noticed his complete crappiness (even Paula!). This will be the biggest test of his fan base yet.

He could escape the bottom three though thanks to Vonzell, Anthony and... boy, oh, boy...

I think Defamer put it best last week by asking:

When is America going to vote off the off-key singing fat guy who looks like a giant, scary baby?

But it's anyone's guess what will happen when the two best contestants perform first and second and everyone gets a teary clip package with family members all but pleading with America to keep their baby in the running.

Even the giant, scary one.

New Bond, Same as the Old?

That damn Dame, always running her mouth...

A pair of Oscar winners get lost in the U.N.

The Interpreter was number one at the weekend box office, probably because it's the first actual adult oriented movie from Hollywood so far this year (gee, it's only April). It even managed to set career best opening weekend records for stars Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn.

Yet the movie itself is another mostly "so what?" affair from director Sydney Pollack. It's a bit of a shame that such a cinematically important teaming of two Oscar-winning actors-for-the-ages is wasted on a fairly forgettable thriller.

The film does provide some good twists and a few mildly successful suspense sequences (unfortunately mostly already spoiled by the trailer). But just as it appears on paper, The Interpreter is most notable for its stars.

Kidman and Penn both acquit themselves well, although overall her character is more interesting than his. This is most troubling early on, when Penn's stature as an Important Actor threatens to render his seemingly stock law enforcement character entirely irrelevant. But then the script slowly reveals the character's deep pain and the actor's talents are put to good use. The film still feels like an odd, and uncommonly commercial, choice for such a traditionally uncompromising actor.

As for Kidman, she once again proves herself ready for anything and a much stronger presence on film than her fragile features might suggest. But, probably more importantly, this is one more notch in her eclectic career belt (it's not even necessary to see the films to know there's something impressive about an actress who takes the leads in Birth, Dogville and The Stepford Wives all in one year and then The Interpreter and Bewitched the next; Halle Berry take note).

The pair have most of their big scenes together, so it's difficult to say whether or not they're actually at their best working opposite each other or that's simply when the script gives them the best material to work with. Either way the film is most interesting when they share the screen. Even though their relationship is not intended to be romantic they develop a genuine chemistry.

(It's worth mentioning that there's another important actress along for the ride. Catherine Keener plays Sean Penn's partner and that's all there is to say about her. The quirky and usually compelling actress is straight-jacketed in a role that goes nowhere. This truly is a two person show all the way.)

Beyond its leads, The Interpreter is also notable as the first film allowed to shoot inside the U.N. The setting looks nice on film but it also recalls a famous thriller that had to secure its U.N. footage in a sneaky way, North By Northwest. That movie had two traits that might have helped The Interpreter feel a little more vital: a sense of a humor and sex appeal.

In his indispensable New Biographical Dictionary of Film, David Thomson has this to say about Pollack's 1975 film Three Days of the Condor (starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway): "a tortuous spy film, heavy with stars but unnecessary and unconvinced." Thirty years later, and Pollack hasn't progressed much as a serious filmmaker.

Still the movie is passable entertainment for adults, which actually makes it somewhat unique among contemporary Hollywood films. And its savvy casting will keep it of interest for years to come.

Now these could be funny, maybe

Woody Allen seems to have found a new muse (his first post-Mia?). Scarlett Johansson is set to star in her second consecutive Woody pic. Their first collaboration, Match Point, will premiere out of competition next month at Cannes. This could be an interesting development, Scarlett has significant comedic and dramatic skills, but only if Woody has actually started writing and directing good movies again.

And

Jennifer Connelly is in the mix for Todd Field's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel Little Children. The suburban sexual satire already has Kate Winslet in the cast and an extremely intriguing group of characters. I'm not sure how the director of In the Bedroom will do with comedy, but having the author of Election co-writing the script from his own highly praised novel should help.

No laughing matter

Despite miserable ratings, shoddy writing and buzz that has gone from deafening to virtually silent, Will & Grace has managed to eke out an eighth, and presumably final, season. That's quite an achievement for a show that stopped being funny three years ago. Even more impressive? All four of the actors are getting salary increases despite an overall cut in the show's license fee, demonstrating the massive power of syndication.

But even though Will & Grace's best years are part of television history its pending demise is actually sad news in TV Land. That's mostly because nothing (nada, zip, zilch) has sprung up to take its place in the seven years since it debuted on NBC.

There have been plenty of inventive TV comedies in the years since then but none in the traditional multicamera sitcom format. With Everybody Loves Raymond leaving the air and Will & Grace apparently a year away from the same fate the death knell is officially ringing on meaningful examples of that classic TV format.

As the networks get ready to announce their fall schedules in a few weeks I wonder if any the executives will realize that television is in desperate need of a genuinely inspired multicamera comedy.

Remember The Rich Man's Wife? Didn't think so

It would be a lot easier to believe Halle Berry doesn't want to keep making movies like Catwoman if she didn't sign on for obvious crap like this.

[For those who don't want to click the link:
"The story of a woman (Berry) who gets caught up in the world of obsessive love and death online when she goes undercover to investigate a friend's murder."]

Yeah this one will probably turn out more Gothika than Catwoman, but that's the difference between garbage laying out on the street and garbage in a trashcan. No one really wants it either way.

And who lets James Foley keep directing films?

Oh, that's right, Revolution.

Crime dramas are officially "in"

Interesting development: Jodie Foster has joined the cast of the promising Spike Lee project I mentioned a few days ago.

Hmm, with Denzel, Clive and Jodie, Spike has himself a high profile cast with two Oscar winners and an Oscar nominee. Could this be a genuine Oscar contender for the perennially overlooked director? From She Hate Me to Oscar Love Me? Stranger things have happened.

Presumably less Oscar friendly but also of interest: David Fincher has finally recovered from Fight Club and set his next project. It's a serial killer movie and while there's no desperate need for another one of those, there's always room for one as good as Fincher is capable of delivering. Plus he's already got Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. in the cast.

Three potential winners, four likely losers, and a curious aversion to the word "disco"

Another week, another Idol.

And the show suffered without Nadia.

But at least Bo was back in top form. As Simon said, Bo's performance was the only authentically good one of the whole night.

Carrie was significantly weaker than she's been in weeks, partly due to poor song choice. As for Smeagol, even when he's good I still think he sucks and tonight he wasn't particularly good. Plus he wore eyeliner, which only made him look more frightening than normal.

And now, without Nadia, they're the only ones who count.

This article, which was written before tonight's show, is a smart look at the season so far. But I'd strongly disagree that none of the remaining singers are "exciting." Fantasia probably wrecked the curve for just how great viewers can expect the contestants to be but she pretty much carried last season by herself, especially in the final weeks. I don't buy into the hype that this season is the best so far in terms of overall talent, but I do think we might be watching more future hitmakers in action than ever before.

Bo, Carrie and Smeagol could all be very successful on pop radio and the album charts. Assuming they will in fact be the final three I think they'll all get record deals and will have stronger collective sales than the previous most successful final three (season two's Ruben, Clay and Kimberley). Each of them are strong in a specific genre and that should provide them with a decent base. If they get the right songs they all have the potential to cross over to bigger things (admittedly a very big if).

The most exciting thing about this season though is that, right now, any of them can win. I'm not even sure which two will actually make the finals.

If the season plays less exciting than it actually is, and each individual episode comes off a little underwhelming, I'd lay the blame directly with the rest of the bunch. They're all adequate, but none of them give truly exciting performances. They just take up space. Sure it's possible that any of them could make it to the final three, but that would be met with as much disgust as Jasmine Trias' final three position was last season.

That said, I'll admit I thought Anthony was second best this week. Up-tempo is his strong suit and if teen pop was still in fashion he'd have a good chance at success. But the emphasis of my praise belongs on this week, and he's already proven that although he can pull out a surprisingly good vocal on occasion he's mostly getting by on cute.

That goes double for Vonzell. This week she performed her second song off the Bodyguard soundtrack (she must've been thrilled to learn Whitney's version was a cover). I'd guess that Ms. Solomon can count her entire cd collection on one hand. Sure she's sweet, but I just can't shake the feeling that there have been many girls in previous seasons who were more deserving of success (starting with Tamyra and Jennifer but also Christina, Trynece and LaToya). But maybe I'm just bitter she's outlasted Nadia.

I don't have much of anything to say about Anwar. He's just sort of... there. But his dancing was tonight's comic highlight.

And please let this have been Scott's last show. He was better than he's been the past couple of weeks but Simon nailed the secret of Scott's limited appeal. He's just an "ordinary" guy who has turned his unattractiveness into a virtue. I was with him at first but he's not a compelling performer or a consistent vocalist and personality has never been his strong suit. That just leaves him with underdog appeal, and this simply isn't a competition for underdogs.

But no matter what happens we've still got a couple weeks to go before the fat has been trimmed and the show genuinely gets exciting (and for Smeagol haters everywhere, a little bit terrifying).

I hope they use it in the print ad

It's pretty clear just from watching the trailer, but the first sentence of A.O. Scott's New York Times review of House of D seems like an excellent warning anyway:

"The reasons to avoid David Duchovny's unwatchable coming-of-age drama can best be summarized in a simple declarative sentence. Robin Williams plays a retarded janitor."

Truck Drivers, Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace director Joshua Marston has set up his next project at Warner Independent Pictures. And the premise has a familiar ring to it.

The Iraqi Convoy Project will follow American truckers who commit to drive goods for U.S. contractors through the Iraqi war zone due to financial hardships at home.

I thought Maria was one of the most unique and accomplished first features in recent years so I was extremely curious to see exactly what he'd do next. It sounds like he won't be straying too far from many of the key elements of his debut: character drama set at least partially in a foreign country that deals with social and political issues in a credible, intimate way.

The world is ending, tonight on NBC

I can't say I understand the fascination with "end of days" entertainment but I do know there is one. Just how widespread that fascination is is about to be put to the test with NBC's new "limited series" Revelations.

The first of six episodes premieres tonight (in The West Wing's usual timeslot) and will be repeated ad infinitum over the next week across the NBC Universe (two more times on NBC, twice on Sci Fi, twice on CNBC and once on Bravo and USA).

The network is going all out to ensure this thing hits and with good reason. The current television season has shown viewers have an appetite for high concept series and there also seems to be a growing interest in spiritual or religious themed entertainment (NBC is leading into the premiere with a Dateline special tied to The Da Vinci Code). NBC needs a hit and this could be it.

But for viewers to take to this show they're going to have to be patient. The first hour of Revelations plays like the start of one of those big cheesy event mini-series that were huge in the 90s. There's a lot of exposition, and a lot of weird happenings, but there's very little point or direction. It's clear this will evolve into something more but without the text scroll that appears on screen at the end of the episode announcing what will happen in future hours I could only begin to guess what's to come.

The hour sets up three characters, but not very well. There's a Harvard professor and hardcore scientist (Bill Pullman) dealing with the recent death of his young daughter, a very lovely nun (Natascha McElhone) who believes Biblical prophecies are coming true right before her eyes and a sadistic child murderer (Michael Massee) who comes off like a lesser pupil of Hannibal Lecter.

One scene suggests a Mulder/Scully relationship developing between the scientist and the nun, and Revelations might very well develop into a show that explores unexplained phenomena from both scientific and religious viewpoints. But like I said, that's one scene.

Maybe the creepy happenings and schlocky suggestion that "the end of days is upon us!" will be enough to bring viewers back for more. NBC will have to hope so, because right now there's nothing else there.

I think I actually miss Clay Aiken

I'm not sure if I actually watched American Idol last night or if I was just experiencing a particularly nasty fever dream.

In any case what I saw went something like this:

The contestants were told they'd have to sing a song from the year they were born. Hooray.

Nadia came out, did her thing as great as usual and was promptly met with a mix of anger and confusion by the judges who seemed upset she's not playing their little karaoke game. She could very well go home this week although Simon might've inadvertently saved her by practically daring the audience to vote for her (not once, but twice).

Nadia, you're too good for this show. Now get into a recording studio and prove it.

Bo followed and, for the first time so far, really sucked. He "sang" Free Bird. An obvious choice for him, but not a fun one.

The rest is pretty much a blur of mediocrity with one person after another taking the stage and receiving mindless praise for being everything Nadia isn't: safe, boring, conformational, middle of the road.

At least Vonzell has a nice smile.

But then something amazing happened. Someone decided to go a little crazy, American Idol-style.

Doing her best Olivia-Newton-John-at-the-end-of-Grease transformation Carrie attacked Pat Benatar's Love is a Battlefield. And for the first time, she actually seemed to have a little bit of passion in her performance (not a lot, just a little, but we'll take what we can get). The judges seemed a little shaken. I couldn't have been happier. Apparently they didn't see this coming after she displayed an affinity for power rock with Heart's Alone.

I can't say for sure that she will win but I do know one thing...

American Idol is Carrie's world. Everyone else is just visiting.

Now on DVD

A little something for everyone in the DVD releases this week.

Bad Education was one of my favorite films last year. If you're unfamiliar with the work of director Pedro Almodovar you might want to start here or here. Otherwise check out this dark, twisty and very twisted tale that owes a debt to Hitchcock and film noir but remains uniquely Almodovar. The dense plot isn't to everyone's taste, and it may take two viewings to grasp it all, but there's much to appreciate in this work of a consummate filmmaker. I also think it's the best performance yet from rising international star Gael Garcia Bernal. Just beware, Education is available in both R and NC-17 rated versions, the NC-17 is the theatrical version.

Ocean's Twelve might be the only mega-budget Hollywood sequel in history to be proudly influenced by the French New Wave. Further proof that Steven Soderbergh will do whatever he wants, no matter what the budget is, Ocean's Twelve is hardly one of the director's best efforts but it's a considerable pleasure for what it is: a lot of good actors goofing off in exotic locations under the supervision of a visually inspired director. Some people call it a self indulgent mess. I call those people poopyheads.

Hotel Rwanda may just be a glorified TV movie but it's a story worth telling and the film benefits greatly from a remarkable performance by Don Cheadle. It landed him his first Oscar nomination and suggests even bigger things are still to come. Sophie Okonedo also got Oscar attention for her more limited role as Cheadle's wife.

The Woodsman failed to drum up the awards attention for lead actor Kevin Bacon that its distributor, Newmarket, was hoping for but that's not too surprising. Not only was last year one of the most competitive years for lead actors in Oscar history but also, like much of Bacon's work, his performance as a pedophile struggling with his inner demons is a low-key affair. I think the movie is more respectfully observed than deeply felt but there are some good performances (especially Bacon, his real life wife Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def) and director Nicole Kassell has a nice visual style. It'll be interesting to see where she goes next.

Last and least of the new releases I'd recommend is Criminal. Although what I really want to recommend is the Argentinean film it is a remake of: Nine Queens. The American remake is adequate with a good cast led by John C. Reilly in a departure from his regular nice guy roles. Diego Luna is very good as Reilly's partner in crime and there's a brief, but spirited, turn by Maggie Gyllenhaal. It's a fun and twisty con artist story, reminiscent of David Mamet, but the film is best appreciated in its original incarnation.

Hitchcock's Best

If you have to pick 10, these are probably the ones. Ranked in chronological order.

Not so Foxxy

For those who think Jamie Foxx's ego has made the leap into superstardom faster than his actual career has, this bit of gossip lays out his supposed demands for taking on a role in Dreamworks' feature film of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (co-starring Beyonce, Usher and possibly Eddie Murphy).

It's written in a blind item fashion that can be hard to follow but the juicy part is really Foxx's list of demands:

- $15 million for the role (1/4 of the budget, even though there is a $20 million-plus actor who is working mostly for backend and no fewer than two major recording stars who are doing the same)
- 15 percent of the gross
- Shared producer credit and fee
- Department head approval
- The sure-to-be-a-cash-cow soundtrack to be released on his still unborn personal record label
- Delay of production for four months so he could complete his tour in support of his new/first album
- Three picture deal with the studio for his personal managers, including one put picture... guaranteed greenlit sight unseen
- Exec Producer credit for his personal managers

And so apparently Foxx has demanded his way right out of the project.

It's not too late

Tonight is the last chance to see the big 24 episode I mentioned earlier this week. If you've caught any of the show this season and haven't been watching lately, now's probably a good time to get back in. Otherwise, as usual, the whole season is sure to be available on DVD in a few months.

I didn't actually catch the episode until the weekend but even with big expectations (and a pretty good idea of what they were going to do storywise) it still floored me. I'd go so far as to call it the best episode since the legendary first season finale.

Much of the episode was tense and tight, classic 24. But it always seems like the series' best episodes come when Jack Bauer's weekly race against the clock fails. The bigger the stakes, the better the episode.

As for what this means for the season overall I've learned it's best to reserve final judgment until the day comes to a close.

Catching up with some of the cool projects that were reported on this week...

Spike Lee will direct Denzel Washington and Clive Owen in hostage drama Inside Man. It's a Universal project produced by Brian Grazer and I wouldn't be surprised if Spike is making a conscious effort at a mainstream genre film, no doubt with a little social commentary thrown in.

George Clooney will likely team up with Steven Soderbergh for the fifth time, on a project called The Good German. It's a murder mystery set in post-WWII Germany. Cate Blanchett will be the female lead, Paul Attanasio wrote the script, and Soderbergh is considering filming the whole thing in black and white.

Blanchett's next project was previously reported but I haven't mentioned it yet. The best actress consistently working today will co-star with Brad Pitt and Gael Garcia Bernal in Babel, an ensemble drama from Amores Perros and 21 Grams director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

And Saturday Night Live standout Amy Poehler has joined the cast of it-better-be-funny comedy Mr. Woodcock. Seann William Scott plays a young man whose mother (Susan Sarandon) gets engaged to the gym teacher (Billy Bob Thornton) who terrorized him in high school.

In other news (the kind that makes me want to bang my head against a wall rather than watching another movie ever again), Michael Bay wants to direct a Transformers movie and the Duff sisters are teaming up for a feature film.

And it's not even sweeps yet!

I can't go without mentioning Lost this week, which reinforced its status as the best show on network television. Although the episode's ultimate outcome had been spoiled for me (never wait a day to watch something like that), I was able to appreciate the episode for the well earned tragedy it was. And again another remarkable showcase for the incredible ensemble.

They've been promising all season that one of the castaways would be killed off. I had selfishly hoped it would be someone else, someone who is popular with audiences but who I wouldn't mind losing (Charlie or Hurley) or someone whose death would turn the show on its ear (Jack or Locke) or the one character I just can't stand (Sawyer).

But I think the producers made the right choice. By killing off a character who had yet to reach his full potential the death had an undeniable dramatic impact, and the shockwaves are going to be killer.

Is this the worst Survivor ever?

I've been a loyal (or maybe more accurately, helplessly addicted) Survivor fan since its second season and it's been a love/hate relationship from the very start.

I've been tempted to call each new installment the series' very worst but I've learned it's always premature to make that call before the final episode (and frankly it's hard to imagine anything ever coming close to the abomination that was Survivor: All Stars). However, I don't think it's too soon to call this season the most miserable in Survivor history.

In its current incarnation as Survivor: Palau this has been a season like no other. So far it's been the story of two tribes: a mighty Koror tribe and a pitiful Ulong.

When the tribes were initially selected I was firmly on the side of Koror, which not only had a broader age range but also seemed to have a more likeable and interesting mix of people.

But then Koror won every single immunity challenge. For eight weeks in a row. And unlike any season ever before the two tribes have not merged.

It's made for a highly unusual season that has become more frustrating every week. Ulong has long ago emerged as the lovable underdogs while Koror looks increasingly like the spoiled fat cats. Each immunity challenge has held an extra bit of suspense (will this finally be Ulong's week?) but with each loss the tribal councils have become increasingly irrelevant.

Eight weeks in and the season essentially hasn't even started. The show doesn't even have an outright villain yet (and when has that ever happened on Survivor?).

We're just getting to the time when everyone who leaves becomes a part of the final jury. And after last night, the Ulong tribe is down to one member.

Yes, one.

At least it's a spectacular one. Even before she became the first person in Survivor history to be on a tribe of one, Stephenie had more than proven herself as the show's strongest female contestant to date. I'm not sure what the future holds for her but if she hasn't competed in a way that's worthy of $1 million than I'm not sure who ever has.

Over at Koror, things have yet to really begin. They were literally forced to vote someone out one week, but otherwise they've only had to imagine what they might do at tribal council. It's given them plenty of time to strategize but also much more time than normal to really bond. It could be nasty once they're finally forced to turn on each other but it might also be a bunch of teary farewells. And now they're all on the jury which is going to make voting out "friends" more complicated than usual.

But after all of these weeks does it even matter?

Despite having eight weeks of screen time, few of the Koror members have emerged as interesting people. Since they've only had to bask in their victories their relationships, alliances and strategies have been limited to the theoretical. And sure these victories have been team efforts but it's clear this tribe never really would've achieved its resounding success without the efforts of one man.

Tom, whose mere presence in a challenge guarantees a victory, is the only member of Koror who actually deserves to be the sole survivor. But his physical and mental strength will likely work against him since this is a game that is sadistically designed to both reward and punish the strongest players. While he's been carrying the tribe on his back the other players have had plenty of time to figure out the best place to stick the knife.

Hmm, maybe this is the worst Survivor ever.

They don't like you, they really don't like you

Ok, first things first. American Idol was hilarious this week.

They made them sing showtunes.

Even though Bo chose a song from Pippin, the top comedy honors went to that adorable little Ukranian puppy dog (now that's the sound of music).

And battling back against baffling audience indifference Nadia stole the show, even if the judges hardly seemed to notice.

But then the results came in...

Incredibly Anthony didn't even make the bottom three (poor Vonzell really didn't deserve that, but it now officially makes Bo, Carrie and Smeagol the only contestants never to hit the bottom three and indisputably the people to beat).

Of those who did Scott clearly should've gone, but it's not surprising Nikko was eliminated. He was the only person not even voted into the top twelve in the first place. In his defense at least he was finding his groove instead of getting worse by the week (ahem).

Ah well, there's always next week. And even though he lived to bark another week, a certain someone won't be able to climb every mountain for long.

CBS cancels JAG

Fare thee well noble Judge Advocate General.

At least we'll always have the USA reruns.

No Doubt about it (I crack myself up, seriously)

As had widely been predicted John Patrick Shanley's latest play, Doubt, won the Pulitzer Prize for drama this year (which means that, yes, the director of Joe vs. the Volcano now has a Pulitzer).

The play is currently being staged on Broadway with a cast that includes Tony winners Cherry Jones and Brian F. O'Byrne but it's also in its final week of a L.A.-area production at the Pasadena Playhouse.

It's a refreshing and complicated piece of work that is ostensibly about the hot button topic of pedophilia in the Catholic church but is much more interested in exploring the slippery slope of moral certainty, the elusive nature of truth and those nagging feelings of doubt we either acknowledge or deny.

Shanley creates four exceptional characters including iron-willed Sister Aloysious (Jones will likely pick up another Tony for her acclaimed performance, while Linda Hunt plays the role locally in a performance I found slightly disappointing). Some observers have seen the Sister as the villain of the piece, as she embarks on a sort of witch hunt to unmask a young priest as a pedophile. Others have been eager to draw comparisons between the play's content and the current political scene.

While I think many of the plays theme are worth a close look in Washington D.C. these days, I also think Shanley's work is far more complicated than those narrow readings. To see Aloysious purely as a villain is to miss her noble intentions, tragic history and underdog status within her own system. Each of Shanley's characters has their good and bad traits, there are absolutely no easy answers here. In life there's only so much we can ever know.

Doubt is the kind of work that is worth seeing because it's worth reacting to, and each reaction is likely to be a little different. It's interesting that the two most thought-provoking works that I've seen recently have both been in the theater, the other being Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?.

I'd like to see both of these works turned into films, hopefully for cable, where their provocative ideas might be uniquely appreciated and considered by a larger audience.

The clock is ticking...

Fox is so excited about tonight's episode of 24 (or so bored with the rest of their schedule, or scared of the NCAA tournament's last game) that they're rerunning it twice this week, on Friday and Sunday at 9!

Hopefully it will be a good one.

After an exceptional start the show has found itself in something of a lull lately. The Araz family storyline is essentially over, with a notable exception (poor, poor Behrooz!), and the show has seemingly ditched the fresh start sensibility that gave it such a kick early on.

Now that Tony, Michelle and Chloe are all back at CTU (and David Palmer due to arrive any time now) it's starting to feel like season three all over again. Except, of course, Michelle isn't facing possible death and shooting hostile hotel guests, she's just walking around with long straight hair trying to annoy Tony, who was most interesting a few hours ago when he was a lazy drunk with a bratty girlfriend. And Audrey has yet to prove herself any more interesting than Jack's past useless love interests. At least Chase is nowhere to be seen and we haven't had a repeat of last year's baby hijinks (although Erin's mentally ill daughter came close).

The good news is the show usually pulls itself out of these dramatic valleys. Maybe tonight will be the night.

Meanwhile, at the art house...

An interesting film to consider seeking out instead of, or in comparison to, Sin City is Korean action thriller Oldboy.

Like Sin City it's not for those adverse to violent works that push the boundaries of good taste. It's also related to Quentin Tarantino (the film has repeatedly earned the QT endorsement, ever since it premiered at Cannes when he was heading up the jury).

But Oldboy is the real deal in terms of visceral cinema. The effect of this one is likely to be felt for years.

The story is familiar but with fresh twists. At its core this is a revenge tale, but it's also a mystery, with a man who has been imprisoned for years trying to discover what motivated his enemy to do something so awful to him and who that enemy is.

The actors are solid (and this is a clear showcase for lead actor Choi Min-sik, whose convincing performance will win him plenty of praise) but it's director Park Chan-wook who is the real star. He makes a major impression with a dazzling style that's full of stunning visuals, kinetic (but not sloppy) scene construction and a propulsive use of music. The entire crew deserves praise, especially the cinematographer, editor and composer.

There are significant flaws that hold me back from calling this an outright classic. I have problems with how the film progresses narratively (the ending left me with a disappointed feeling of "oh, is that was this was all about?") and there's a nasty streak of misogyny that prevents the movie from feeling truly mature.

In any case Oldboy is at the very least an instant cult classic. And more than that it's an exciting and original film that showcases a director well worth paying attention to.

Sometimes style really can triumph over substance.

The old Style Over Substance

Sin City is well on its way to taking the #1 spot on the box office charts away from the comedic genius of Ashton Kutcher (don't worry, he'll be back soon) and it's, uh, pretty good... I guess.

Its director, Robert Rodriguez, is a contemporary and comrade of Quentin Tarantino. Their careers have often intersected (Tarantino even directs one brief scene in Sin City) but Rodriguez has achieved only a fraction of Tarantino's acclaim.

It's clear that Rodriguez has been happy carving out a solid career of sturdy genre films and experimenting with new technology, but it seemed like he might have hit on something bigger with Sin City. Here, finally, might be his own Pulp Fiction.

Not so fast.

The first thing to mention with Sin City is its singular great achievement: it looks unlike any other movie. The film, like the Frank Miller graphic novels it's based on, is a tribute to film noir. The images are primarily black and white with vivid splashes of color to accentuate certain elements: a woman's red lips, a literal yellow bastard, etc. There's much to appreciate in the visuals of Sin City (and thankfully Rodriguez's dedication to bringing Miller's vision directly to the screen has also caused him to calm down the hyper camera and editing work that made Once Upon a Time in Mexico so messy).

Rodriguez has also assembled a fantastic cast. There are many roles to be filled in bringing three of Miller's stories to the screen and the actors who signed on are an impressive bunch.

This is primarily a man's world and Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Clive Owen acquit themselves well in the lead roles. Benicio Del Toro, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe offer strong support.

The women are primarily objects of lust but Brittany Murphy, Jaime King, Devon Aoki, Carla Gugino and especially Rosario Dawson all make positive impressions anyway. (An incompetent Jessica Alba, dull Josh Hartnett, wooden Michael Madsen and miscast Alexis Bledel round out the ensemble.)

But what went wrong?

For all of its talent and visual achievements there's very little going on underneath the surface of Sin City. Much of the film plays less like classic noir and more like a Saturday Night Live film noir parody.

Rodriguez has made a clear effort to bring the world of Sin City to life, but the people come in a distant second. It's a beautiful body, with no pulse.

The film's lack of vibrant characters becomes increasingly apparent and troublesome in the second full story The Big Fat Kill. Highlighting the ensemble's best actors (Owen, Del Toro, Dawson, Murphy), the story starts off strong and finishes with a whimper. Its cold hearted romanticism lands with a thud because at no point do these characters actually mean anything. Similar problems plague the endings of the other two stories.

As Sin City goes on it begins to feel monotonous on several levels. Its themes emerge as repetitive and simplistic (rough man protect pretty girl), the fixation on violence starts to feel juvenile and its reliance on the old noir standby of voiceover wears thin (the incessant narration on the Marv/Hard Goodbye story almost single handedly derails that entire segment).

All in all it's a near-miss, still worth at least a look for its unique style and interesting ensemble.

Take your pick

I can't quite decide which of these headlines is the best:

Hilary Duff Front-Runner for Kids Choice


After Jail, Sizemore to Return to Acting


College Students Download in Dorm Rooms