Inception: a Film Review

A highly anticipated action-thriller from "the director of 'The Dark Knight,' " Inception has held its end of the bargain amidst the hype and has breathed new life into what has been a lackluster summer in the theaters. Christopher Nolan delivers the same visual brilliance many Americans enjoyed in 'The Dark Knight' and tied in a confusing, yet engaging plot comparable to 'The Matrix.' In all honesty, the concept of inception is explained in a much more far-fetched and confusing manner in the film, which caused plenty of "I don't know what was going on halfway through" responses from several people coming out of my theater. Perhaps they were too focused on the visuals of the film to grasp its meaning. Shorthand: I suggest you simply suspend your disbelief. DiCaprio and his colleagues thrust themselves into the subconscious of others, through their dreams, and attempt to unlock deep secrets within the minds of his targets.
Right right. Sounds a little silly. The plot revolves around gaining a secret from actor Cillian Murphy's subconscious, proving to be a dangerous and complicated process; DiCaprio winds up in a dream, within a dream, within a dream, within a dream at the end of his mission. Judging from its stupendous visual quality and intellectually stimulating plot, I recommend seeing and experiencing the movie for yourself, rather than me explaining intricacies and questions regarding the concept of inception. A few critiques: I will admit DiCaprio was once a handsome young man, but since that time he has added some character to his face and I would rather not see a close-up of his weathered mug every other scene. I sternly believe a significant amount of film stock could have been saved in cutting out at least a few close-ups. In that aspect, I felt the cinematography was somewhat melodramatic. Gripe #2: the script dwelled too much on DiCaprio's inability to stop thinking or dreaming about his deceased wife and estranged relationship with his children. I understand to emotional appeal, but the film clocked in at 2 & 1/2 hours; Nolan repeatedly drilled that side-story into the grounds and there were moments during those scenes when I honestly felt like falling asleep. Lastly, it looked like the extractors were getting rigged to some morphine machine whenever they entered another's subconscious. I mean, that just seemed awkward and bizarre. All personal grievances aside, Nolan birthed another summer blockbuster worthy of any movie-goer's bucket list. Inception is currently rated the #3 best movie of all-time on IMDB and has an ending that will be all the talk at the water cooler this week. Did DiCaprio wake up from his dream or die trying? You decide.

UPDATE: Three Sheets On Travel Channel

I wrote an post praising the "Show About Social Lubricant" a few weeks ago. Problem: Three Sheets had just been dropped by Fine Living Network and wasn't on TV at that time. Now it is. Host of Three Sheets, Zane Lamprey, announced on his website four days ago that the Travel Channel has picked up all four seasons of the show for its Wednesday, 11PM - 12 PM time slot. Check out it's page on Travel Channel's website or (more recommended) read my earlier post of the show, if you aren't too familiar with it. If you are between the ages of 17-70 and/or enjoy subjects concerning alcohol, then Three Sheets is right up your alley. Is 11-midnight on Wednesdays a little past your bedtime and you don't have a Tivo? You can find the episodes online by searching Three Sheets on Hulu, Youtube, or whatever bit torrent website you prefer.

Enjoy. You may just learn something about booze.

LeBron: Nike's Next Billion Dollar Endorsement

Otherwise titled, "LeBron James: Why You Should Care." (read that last sentence in whatever sarcastic tone you prefer).
If you have been living under a rock or in Idaho for the last 7 weeks, then you may not have heard about the interminable sports media build-up of Lebron James's free agency, cleverly referred to as "Courting the King." Roughly one month ago, during the infancy of all this frenzy, Sportscenter mentioned Nike's plans of expanding an aggressive LeBron campaign through China within the next year. Impeccable timing, because for the last month discussion about LeBron has flooded the airwaves and, just like me, you may have thought at some point, "I'm tired of hearing the same story. So what? He'll sign with whatever team eventually, so who gives a horse's pa-toot?!" Well, this hasn't been your run of the mill Brett Favre or Michael Jackson summer-long, slow-news-day cover story; LeBron has the potential of becoming, financially, the next Michael Jordan.

LeBron's recent signing with Miami presents him with the best talent money can buy, which most analysts believe will yield "The King" championships (plural). Let's not stop there. His marketing potential increases significantly because, according to that aforementioned Sportscenter article, the majority of Chinese NBA and Nike enthusiasts prefer Kobe Bryant over James. Why? He's a proven winner. If James wants to be the next billionaire athlete, then he might want to win a 'ship or two. Okay, now that I have laid out the simple argument, let's assume that in 8-10 years, LeBron is a billionaire. Like the two others billionaire Nike athletes before him, he will have gained the majority of his trust fund from McDonald's, Nike, Coca-Cola and State Farm (just to name a few). What will he do with over one billion dollars? My prediction is he will sit on his money for a few years but eventually succumb to the pressures of starting some philanthropic foundation. Nike has already created a larger than life persona of James, similarly with Jordan, and will most likely run a shoe campaign like Jordan's well after he retired, guaranteeing royalty checks until he dies. Shorthand - LeBron will never need to worry about paying the bills.

I beg two questions: 1. What could he do with his money? Hopefully he won't go all cliche on us and start a youth basketball organization. And it honestly would not flabbergast me if he ties himself in politics in the future. 2. At this point in his career is he playing because he loves basketball or because he wants to fulfill his hype of a billionaire, championship winning athlete who is loved by most and hated only by his enemies? He can not physically leave the game any time he wants. James has signed too many endorsement contracts to simply quit playing and with only a high school education, basketball is his only skill of expertise. LeBron is married to the NBA and his endorsement deals until his knees give out in his early 40s. Devil's advocate might say, "I'd live LeBron's life in a heartbeat! He's got all the money in the world and gets to play basketball!" If an MLL agent told me tomorrow I could be the next Paul Rabil of the professional lacrosse world as long as I am married to the sport and my contracts until I can't run anymore, I would politely decline because only a hand-full of athletes in the world have the body durability to make a career out of professional sports. As much as I love lacrosse, I could not keep playing it everyday for the next 15-20 years of my life, no matter how much someone payed me; besides, I have other ambitions in my life and would like to be known more than a "lax bro" anyway.
LeBron cannot play at his highest caliber for the rest of his career. Even Michael Jordan faded out with a lackluster pair of season's on the Wizard's roster. I would love to see LeBron use his money for something other than basketball and imprint his larger than life legacy in another aspect of culture. Karl Marx's Golden Rule: "Those with the money, rule." LeBron has the capability to rule in his later years and impact our culture in some other arena than sports or marketing (something Jordan really hasn't done yet). Besides, the NBA and basketball industry is lucrative enough as it is.

In other LeBron news, some guy claims he is the real father of James. Some paternity test cover-up. Whatever. I really don't care.

And to my 3 or 4 loyal followers, I apologize for the two week hiatus. I'm currently in the works of signing another author.

Blast from the Past: New Episodes of Futurama!

Seven long years ago, Fox cut the cord on Futurama. Since then, the creative geniuses behind the show, Matt Groening and David Cohen (The Simpsons and Family Guy also check out on their resumes), have fought to release only a couple "specials" for the show in recent years. My teenage years seemed a little gloomy (dramatic exaggeration) as Futurama looked to be a dead end project for quite some time; I was sure that the last we would ever see of Futurama would be overplayed reruns on Comedy Central every night. But forget the past - back to the future. Comedy Central shifted around some of their resources and syndicated the show at it's Thursday, 10 PM slot with 26 new episodes on the slate.

Recap and Refresher Course: If you've never tuned in, Futurama has a unique format - a cartoon, futuristic sci-fi sitcom set in New New York in the year 3000. In other words, anything goes. Because the main characters work for a severely senile scientist at a delivery company, every episode promises the delivery crew traveling to some ridiculous planet to drop off an appropriately fitting package. Usually referring to past, lost civilizations such as our current American government and cultural systems, Futurama also provides the platform for satire of any and all varieties.

You truly must possess an active imagination to write for the show. Possibly the best known behind-the scenes man for Futurama is not a writer, but the talented voice actor Billy West. West primarily rose to fame in the 80s as a featured guest for the Howard Stern Show, namely for his impression of Larry Fine from the Three Stooges (example: search "Larry Fine-A Woodstock Minute" into youtube and you'll see what I'm talking about). He expanded in the early 90s, becoming a writer and the voice of both Ren & Stimpy on the show. Today, the man of many voices lives through the characters of Fry, Dr. Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan and many more on Futurama.

I'm excited. My only worry is that it falls into the same pit as Family Guy has for the past few years, after McFarlane had the series renewed by Fox. What I mean by this is Family Guy was cartoon phenomenon alongside South Park and The Simpsons back in its 1999-2003 seasons and even in the first season or two of its revival. However, for the past few seasons the writers have relied on old, worn out concepts and terrible joke delivery as the last remaining value the show has to offer. (Example: Ollie Williams used to be my favorite character for his original catch phrase, "It's gone rain!" back in the third season. The writers of Family Guy have long since beaten that character to death with similar jokes of poor taste.) Futurama will be airing on a different network than Fox, so here's to hoping the execs at CC allow Groening to work his magic and breathe life into Futurama's new beginnings.
Comedy Central - Thursday, 10 - 11 PM.

Three Sheets - The Show about Social Lubricant

Before you jump to conclusions, just know that Three Sheets isn't your father's drinking show. Host Zane Lamprey travels around the world observing cultures with unique drinking habits and traditions. Out of circumstance, entertainment value and for the viewer's interest, he also winds up getting fairly hammered throughout his weekend visits. Lamprey films his episodes brazenly and indiscriminately, turning down no drink and befriends a few locals along the way. This show stands out because the only education we commonly receive and perceive of alcohol culture is through stupid beer/liquor/rum commercials. Outside of him drinking plenty of alcohol on the show, Lamprey delivers a raw drinking experience from the local and international watering-holes of the world. In the first season, for example, Lamprey travels to Scotland, buys a fitting kilt, and samples the various specialty scotches and beers offered from that region of the world. Like every episode, he also visits a certain factory or drink bar or restaurant - the guy flies by the seat of his pants whilst drinking. Now, as of Memorial Day, Three Sheets was airing on Fine Living Network (FLN) every night at 10 PM; FLN switched format to The Cooking Channel and no longer carries the series. BUT Lamprey just announced on his website The Travel Channel will be airing episodes from the four-season series starting June 30th at 11 PM every weekday night. Also stated on his website, Lamprey said that after discussing the future of the series with Travel Channel, they would talk about signing Three Sheets up for more seasons if the show debuts well and gathers a following at its 11 PM slot. Three Sheets is one show that should not go unnoticed. You could wikipedia the history and critical review of Congac or you could tune in to Three Sheets on June 30th to watch Lamprey visit a Cognac expert and break down all you want to know about the famous brandy. Then watch him go three sheets to a bottle of the stuff. If you can't wait or 11 is past your bedtime, check out Three Sheets on Hulu. Here's a promo for the show. Listen closely and you'll hear some words to live by. Special thanks to my brother for tuning me in. Enjoy:


Bonus: if you would like to develop a little drinking game from the show, Lamprey suggests you drink anytime he does, whenever the show's toy monkey mascot, Pleepleous, makes an appearance, or his old college drinking buddy, Steve McKenna, is mentioned.
Cheers!

Mortal Kombat Meets Postmodernism

Anyone remember the first two Mortal Kombat movies? Me neither. Here's the new one. The trailer for this revamped Mortal Kombat movie introduces the potential cast and background story, but for me it raises plenty of questions about the overall entertainment value of the film. I feel like no video game has ever made a successful jump onto the screen (Max Payne, Street Fighters, Super Mario Bros, and Mortal Kombat - and if you have never seen these movies, don't bother). Every video game-movie I have seen lacked a coherent plot and usually rubs off as "cheesy" and cliche.

On the contrary, Mortal Kombat's latest trailer promises riveting fight scenes and delivers a darker, edgier cinematography (reminiscent of The Dark Knight) which effectively captures the spirit of playing the original game. So in that sense, the film appears like a hopeful advancement from the awful first pair of Mortal Kombat movies. One concern: after watching the trailer twice, I had a problem with the scriptwriting. It's downright cheesy. From what I can tell, the scriptwriters played it safe and continued the concept of a fighting tournament, which seems far-fetched and just...stupid, especially after Fight Club and similar films (Fighting, starring the infectious Channing Tatum) have beaten that idea to death with a lax stick. Outside of the tournament, the beauty of the original Mortal Kombat video game is there is no discernible script. No script = scriptwriter's dream. It's not like this is American Psycho and the director has to slim down a 300+ page novel into an 1 hour 40 minute film. The sky is the limit for the script of this new Mortal Kombat film and here's to hoping they got creative with it.
Cheers



Footnote: I usually do not enjoy mindless fight films and I don't think I will ever like this one. Still, part of me is intrigued to see if this film can capture my adolescent feeling for the game better than its first attempts. Sometimes nostalgia's more addictive than speedballs.

(Disclaimer: I do not partake in, nor do I encourage the consumption of drug reference above)

It's Always Sunny on Comedy Central

Hopefully you have not been missing it, but three weeks ago Comedy Central syndicated the groundbreaking sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia from FX and has been airing them in 2 hour blocks every Monday night, deftly named Happy Hour. In an interview with The Onion's AV Club, primary script writer and actor of It's Always Sunny, Rob McElhenney, explained his inspiration for the sitcom arose in 2004 after considering what he was not seeing on primetime sitcoms. Most sitcoms we watch on Fox, NBC, or CBS are geared toward a family-oriented viewing crowd with wholesome humor and conflicts that are resolved within a 30-minute episode. McElhenney desired the opposite in It's Always Sunny.

Every sitcom has two consistent qualities: 1. they are comprised of main characters who form a "family" or tight-knit circle and 2. for the most part, the main characters behave in a predictable pattern, allowing the audience to feel more connected when they predict their actions. It's Always Sunny has a tight-knit group of main characters (Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee and Frank), yet the main characters are all selfish, greedy, impatient, narcissistic, and completely antagonistic of each other. Also, the character's decisions are hardly predictable and perpetually leaving the viewer in the blue about what could go wrong for "the gang" next. (FUN FACT: Coincidentally, McElhenney explained the light, fluttery classical theme music for the show reflects the ever-changing and unpredictable actions of the characters).

On paper it seems like the perfect shitstorm of a sitcom. But the sheer opposition of mainstream, conventional sitcom writing compensates as the utter genius behind It's Always Sunny. And for that I, and millions of other fans thank FX for taking a chance on this rogue sitcom. Looking back, the first season was a little rocky and had issues with continuity amongst the gangs interactions, but the show has been flying higher and higher with the addition of Danny DeVito in the second season. Comedy Central will be airing four consecutive episodes from the five various seasons of Sunny every Monday night almost all the way through summer. So, if you have not caught on to this phenomenon of a show or you haven't seen or you just want to catch that rare episode from season one whence Charlie claims he was raped, catch it every Monday night. Besides, a sitcom of this caliber truly deserves much more mainstream exposure than Grey's Anatomy, for example. Here's a little interview below, just to get a feel fo it yo: