Airheads Blu-ray Re-Issue Hits All the Right Notes

Courtesy: Starz/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Airheads is one of the most underappreciated comedies of the 90s.  This spoof on the inner workings of the music industry is one that every movie and music lover should see at least once.  This is regardless of what genre of music one listens to.  And thanks to Starz and Anchor Bay Entertainment, everybody can enjoy this undervalued movie once again.  It will be re-issued next Tuesday, May 28^th on Blu-ray.

Everybody by now knows how difficult it is to break out in the music industry.  So when three hard working musicians are turned down too many times by record label reps who barely give their demo tape the slightest listen, the trio—Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler—known as “The Lone Rangers” decide to take a drastic step and hold a radio station  hostage.  Ironically, the deejay on staff at the time (played by Joe Mantegna—The Simpsons, Criminal Minds, Joan of Arcadia) ends up actually helping the young musicians as he has become so jaded by the music that he is forced to play by the station manager.  Making things even worse is the revelation that the manager (played by fellow veteran actor Michael McKean) was going to sell the station and change its format, effectively laying off everyone on staff.  Thus ensues an absolutely hilarious poke at those in the highest positions of power within the music business.

Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser have all gone on to relatively stable success, playing both more comedic roles and some very dramatic roles since the original release of Airheads in 1994.  But there is no denying the chemistry that the trio had in playing their roles together.  Nor is there denying how much fun they must have had, too.  There is not one moment throughout the movie’s roughly hour and a half run time that doesn’t generate its share of laughs.  This includes the late Chris Farley’s scene in which his character Wilson rips the nipple ring off of a man who was making fun of Wilson.  The reaction both by Wilson and the man to this is absolutely hilarious.  That and other moments are more proof that Farley was just as good on the big screen as he was as a cast member of Saturday Night Live.  The same can be said of his cast mate, Adam Sandler.  On a side note, Saturday Night Live hasn’t been as good to this day as it was in the 90s.  When the last member of that cast left, that show went downhill.

The primary story of “The Lone Rangers” taking over the radio station will keep any comedy lover engaged throughout the story.  It’s obvious that no one either behind the cameras or in front of them, had any intention of taking themselves seriously.  That’s a big part of why this was such a fun story.  It is just as obvious how much fun the cast and crew had when Ian The Shark (Joe Mantegna) goes off on Milo when he finds out that Milo was going to sell the station.  It would have been funny to see a gag reel showing how many takes it had to have taken for that one scene, everything else aside.  What many people don’t realize about the music industry is just how much radio personalities hate the music that comes through their headphones.  Nearly twenty years after the movie’s debut, Ian’s statement that so much of the music sounds the same rings true.  Making things worse is station program directors who are scared to death of trying anything new and different, I.E. Milo.  It’s one of those timeless stories to which so many hopeful musicians can relate.  Every struggling musician has reached the point of desperation because of those in positions of power.  But none have ever gone to the lengths which “The Lone Rangers” went.  Keeping that in mind, Airheads becomes one of those matters of circumstantial comedy that for once is actually funny and will be for another near two decades and then some.  It will be available next Tuesday on DVD and Blu-ray and can be ordered direct via the Anchor Bay Entertainment website at http://www.anchorbayentertainment and sign up for the store.

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Indianapolis 500 Returns To ABC This Weekend For 49th Consecutive Year

Courtesy: Izod Indycar Series

Memorial Day and Memorial Day weekend will be a big one for fans of basketball.  The WNBA kicks up its 2013-2014 season in a big way across ABC and the ESPN family of networks.  Fans of auto racing get to celebrate the weekend with the annual celebration of the Indianapolis 500, live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).  ABC will broadcast the annual race this Sunday, May 26^th live for the forty-ninth consecutive year.  The race will be preceded by a one-hour pre-race telecast at 11am ET presented by Go Daddy.  The green flag is expected to drop at 12:15pm ET.

The broadcast of the race will incorporate eighty-four different cameras including three each on board twelve of the thirty-three cars entered for the Izod Indy Car Series premier race.  Those drivers who will be carrying in car cameras will be: Defending race winner Dario Franchitti and defending IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. Others will be Charlie Kimball, JR Hildebrand, James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal and Tristan Vautier.  Veteran racer Ed Carpenter will also carry one of the in-car cameras.

Audiences can also get a view of pit road and the front stretch thanks to the enhanced “Batcam” (skycam).  The “Batcam” runs on a wire overhead pit road and the front stretch at IMS.  The “Batcam” has been used by ESPN for many years.  But with its new enhancements, it can now fly over the track at speeds upwards of ninety-five miles per hour.  Four Ultra Hi Motion cameras placed around the track will give viewers an amazing view of the race.  The cameras, which will be used for the second consecutive year, will be placed in the short chutes at each end of the two and a half mile track.  There will also be a camera in the fourth turn exit, and one robotic camera placed at the entrance to turn one.  Along with the cameras, which can shoot at a rate of up to 1,200 frames per second, each turn will also have a Super Slo Motion camera.

Thanks to ESPN3, fans watching the race will get the option of streaming live video on a second screen.  The live streaming feeds will be available via ESPN’s WatchESPN and WatchESPN app.  ESPN3 is available online via http://www.WatchESPN.com.  Viewers watching online via ESPN3’s second screen can cwitch between in-car cameras.  For the first time this year, fans watching online can also check out the live scoring ticker.  ESPN3 will also carry a rebroadcast of the race after it ends on ABC.

Marty Reid will have the lap-by-lap call, while ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak will serve as race host.  Former driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever will be on hand for analysis.  Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

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Roger Day’s New DVD Will Entertain Kids For Days

Courtesy: Savannah Music Festival/Roger Day/Sea Grant Georgia

Roger Day’s new DVD Marsh Mud Madness is a nice tool for teachers to use with their young students when teaching about biology and science classes.  The DVD is a live performance of Day and his band mates at the Savannah Music Festival at the Trustees Theater in Savanna, Georgia.  The live performance is mixed with footage of Day’s trip down to the University of Georgia’s Marine Institute on Sapelo Island.  While it is a live recording, young audiences can still learn from Day’s performance via the DVD.  Teachers are given additional resources thanks to links to study guides provided online at http://georgiaseagrant.uga.edu/article/RogerDay.

The study guides provided as additional tools are a useful addition for teachers, to this recording.  The recording itself is quite successful.  Those behind the DVD’s creation did an impressive job separating the songs through the footage of Day’s time out with the University of Georgia’s Marine Institute.  Separating the songs in this fashion makes the program easy to follow.  The extra footage serves a secondary purpose here, too.  That secondary purpose is to promote conservation of the country’s marine habitats.  The thing of it is that this is not done as blatantly as it might be done by certain other performers.  It’s not as preachy in that fashion.  Of course there is a little bit of a fun moment as Day sings about the infamous scourge of the seas that was Blackbeard A.K.A. Edward Teach.

Having noted one positive aspect of this live recording, one has only one other direction to go.  That direction is in noting the performance itself.  Younger audiences will enjoy watching it and even dancing around with the audience in attendance.  Parents and teachers alike will enjoy Day’s ‘YMCA’ style sing-along in the concert’s opener, ‘I Love to Study Mud.’  It’s not the only song that gets his audiences moving, either.  Whether in the classroom or in the living room, young audiences will love to sing and dance along with the kids in attendance.  And with any luck, watching this performance will even get those same young audiences interested in learning more about the animals in our country’s marine habitats and why it’s important to protect them.

Marsh Mud Madness will be available soon.  Audiences can get more information on it and all the latest news and tour dates from Roger Day on his official website, http://www.rogerday.com and on his official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/RogerDayMusic.

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Iron Man 3 Fun, Even With Some Kinks In The Armor

Courtesy: Paramount/Marvel

When is a man not a man?  A man is not a man only when he gives up.  That is what those who have not yet seen Marvel’s new blockbuster Iron Man 3 need to remember when going into this movie.  Many of those who have seen this movie have complained that the movie didn’t feature enough of Tony in his suit; that it was essentially more melodrama than movie.  Here’s the thing.  Just as start Robert Downey Junior noted in recent reviews, he can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again.  He meant that in terms of playing Iron Man/Tony Stark again in a potential Iron Man 4 and/or Avengers 2.  But the reality is that those comments apply within the context of Iron Man 3 itself, too.  Fans have seen Tony Stark don his armor time and again in the first two movies in this franchise.  And for the most part, his armor has done the same sort of feats.  So seeing Tony lose everything, including his suits (albeit temporarily) and forced to rely on just his wits was actually a nice change of pace.  It showed that while he may not have been a superhero for much of the movie, he was still a hero and no less a man.   That’s because he didn’t give up.  He didn’t even let anxiety attacks hold him down.  These are messages that any viewer, comic book fan or not, should take away from this movie.

The messages contained within Iron Man 3 are just one positive aspect to this movie.  While it’s hardly perfect, the fan boys and fan girls that have lambasted it for its surprise regarding The Mandarin and the Extremis story arc have gone into the movie with too much of a closed mind.  They perhaps didn’t catch that Writer/Director Shane Black and his Co-Writer Drew Pearce did in fact poke fun at themselves indirectly concerning this matter.  When the truth is revealed about The Mandarin, Rhodey asks Tony, “This is The Mandarin?!”  Tony retorts with one of so many wisecracks that audiences have come to love from him.  Those that are open minded enough will appreciate that this short moment is actually Pearce and Black’s way of beating the fan boys and fan girls to the punch in hopes that it will get them to laugh at the story changes with them.  Though, in defense of the fan boys and fan girls, it is a bit of a slap in their faces to turn The Mandarin into the minor figure that Black and Pearce did.  Maybe in any future installments, audiences will get The Mandarin that they deserve.

Any viewer that can accept the story changes to Iron Man 3 will appreciate the eventual reward in the movie’s final climactic battle scene between Tony, Rhodey, and Killian.  There are those that say this final showdown is the movie’s only real good part.  But as already noted there is much more to be taken away from the movie.  Seeing all the armor from Tony’s “Hall of Armor” lets audiences know that regardless of whether RDJ returns for Iron Man 4 or Avengers 2, odds are audiences will still see Iron Man return with much more armor and action in future installments.  After all, certain parties noted that the most recent take on The Incredible Hulk would be the last one for a while.  But obviously that’s now been proven false as the not so Jolly Green Giant is apparently back on the table again for Marvel’s next phase.  So even if RDJ is done (as he seemed to note even within the context of the movie), it would be no surprise if Shellhead returns with someone else donning the Iron Man suit….or suits?

As one can tell by now, there is plenty for which Iron Man 3 should be applauded.  For all of its positives, there are some negatives.  The first of those negatives is the movie’s pacing.  Its run time is roughly two hours and fifteen minutes.  But it feels like it is much longer.  Unlike its competitor, Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3 felt like (just as with DC’s The Dark Knight Rises), Black and Pearce were trying way too hard to cram everything they could into this one last installment so as to close the trilogy.  What’s more, incorporating multiple villains, as so many of the comic based movies have done in recent years, only added to the movie’s length.  It would have been much easier to simply stick with Killian as the main villain.  After all, audiences are hand delivered early on the fact that Killian would be the main villain.  The extra storyline may lead some viewers to find themselves checking their watches every now and then, wondering when the two hour plus movie will finally end.  And because of this, it will ultimately leave some viewers realizing that this key issue has and will forever keep Iron Man 3 from being the movie that it was hyped up to be.  Rather, it will keep Iron Man 3 little more than another transition point to Marvel’s next property, just like its comic books.

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WNBA Kicks Off 2013-2014 Season This Weekend On ABC

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2013-2014 WNBA season starts next Monday.  And it all kicks off with a double header on ABC.  The double header will feature the top four teams from this year’s WNBA draft presented by State Farm.  It all starts with a match between the Washington Mystics and Tulsa Shock at 3pm ET.  The Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury follow at 5pm ET.  Along with the games, ESPN will offer an in-depth look at course taken by the league’s top picks—The “3 To See–from college to the pros.  The “3 To See” are Elena Delle Donne (Delaware to Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame to Tulsa Shock), and Brittney Griner (Baylor to Phoenix Mercury).

ABC’s double header matchup is just part of Monday’s season opening celebration of the WNBA.  ESPN Classic will air a Memorial Day weekend marathon featuring a series of games featuring the “3 To See.”  The full slate of games is listed below.

ESPN Classic Memorial Day “3 to See” Marathon

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Sun, May 26	4 p.m.	2012 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Notre Dame Diggins 19 points leads ND to an 83-75 win
	6 p.m.	Connecticut at Notre Dame (2013) Diggins scores 29 points in ND’s 96-87 triple-overtime win
	8 p.m.	2013 NCAA Championship Second Round: Delaware vs. North Carolina Delle Donne nets 33 points in loss in final home game
	10 p.m.	2012 NCAA Women’s National Championship: Notre Dame vs. Baylor Griner has 26 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in win
	Midnight	2012 NCAA Championship Second Round: Kansas vs. Delaware Delle Donne scores 34 points in loss
Mon, May 27	1:30 a.m.	Notre Dame at Tennessee (2013) Diggins has 33 points, five assists and four steals in victory
	3:30 p.m.	2012 CAA Championship: Drexel vs. Delaware Delle Donne dominates with 27 points and 10 boards in win
	7 a.m.	Connecticut at Baylor (2011) Griner leads with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks in victory
	9 a.m.	Delaware at St. John’s (2013) Delle Donne tallies 29 points, 16 boards, two assists and two blocks in overtime win
	11 a.m.	2011 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Notre Dame Diggins nets 28 points in win over UConn and National Player of the Year Maya Moore
	1 p.m.	Baylor at Connecticut (2013) Griner scores 25 points in win, including 3,000th of her career

 

Fans of the WNBA will also get to see the return of the Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game on July 27^th.  The game will air that day at 3:30pm ET on ABC live from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.

The team of Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo, and Carolyn Peck return once again this season to call the games, with Ward calling the play-by-play action.  Holly Rowe and LaChina Robinson will serve as reporters for select games.  Sue Bird—seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Champion with the Seattle Storm—will join the broadcast team this season from the ESPN Studio.  This includes the opening day double header.  Bird is sidelined this season while she recovers from left knee surgery.

The full season schedule is available below:

2013 WNBA Regular-Season Schedule (subject to change)

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Networks
Mon, May 27	3 p.m.	Washington Mystics at Tulsa Shock Pam Ward, Carolyn Peck & LaChina Robinson	ESPN2
	5 p.m.	Chicago Sky at Phoenix Mercury Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo & Holly Rowe	ESPN2
Sat, June 8	3:30 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Indiana Fever Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo & Holly Rowe	ABC
Wed, June 12	8 p.m.	Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck	ESPN2
Tue, June 25	8 p.m.	Phoenix Sun at San Antonio Silver Stars Pam Ward & Carolyn Peck	ESPN2
Tue, July 2	8 p.m.	Tulsa Shock at Connecticut Sun	ESPN2
Tue, July 9	9 p.m.	Atlanta Dream at Minnesota Lynx	ESPN2
Thu, July 11	9 p.m.	Los Angeles Sparks at Tulsa Shock	ESPN2
Thu, July 18	10 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks	ESPN2
Tue, July 23	7 p.m.	New York Liberty at Indiana Fever	ESPN2
Sat, July 27	3:30 p.m.	Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game (Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.)	ABC
Tue, Aug 6	10 p.m.	Seattle Storm at Phoenix Mercury	ESPN2
Tue, Aug 20	10 p.m.	Los Angeles Sparks at Seattle Storm	ESPN2
Sat, Aug 24	7 p.m.	Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx	ESPN2
Wed, Sep 11	8 p.m.	Phoenix Mercury at Chicago Sky	ESPN2

 

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SUperhuman Samurai Syerb-Squad Season 1.5 A Fun, Campy Trip Down Memory Lane

Courtesy: Mill Creek Entertainment

Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad is perhaps one of the campiest of the shows from the 90s wave of shows adapted from Japan’s super-powered kids’ shows.  The show only lasted one season from September 12, 1994 – April 11, 1995; right at the internet’s infancy.  That is evident through the fight sequences that take place inside the digital world.  The sets are just as campy as the writing and acting.  But for anyone that grew up during the early 90’s, that campy vibe was something great in that era.  So now that Mill Creek Entertainment has re-issued the first half of the show’s only season, fans of this classic kids’ action series can re-live their childhood while introducing their own kids to part of their own childhood at the same time.

While this competitor to Saban’s hugely popular Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers only lasted a single season, it had some similarities to the aforementioned show, it can at least be said of this cross between Ultraman and MMPR that had some originality.  For starters, Sam and his friends were more believable and relatable to younger viewers at the time.  That’s because they looked and acted more like average teens, unlike the cast of MMPR. Also, rather than facing off against interstellar baddies, Sam (played by a then very young Matthew Lawrence) and his friends have to go into the digital world to face off against Kilokahn and the viruses created by his human helper, Malcolm Frank.  Many of the battles fought by Sam and his friends are the result of Malcolm’s hatred for Sam.  Malcolm’s intentions are largely as a competitor for the affections of a young lady.  Kilokahn’s intentions are the standard world domination schemes.  So both having evil intentions, it only made sense for the pair to team up and do so much damage to the digital world, and in turn, the real world.

The acting of the show’s cast and the show’s storylines are campy to say the least.  But they’re not as over the top as those in certain other Japanese imports, either.  The same can be said of the show’s sets and special effects, too.  The show’s sets and special effects are just as campy as the acting and writing.  But just as the campy acting and writing make this a guilty pleasure for any viewer that grew up with this show, so are the sets and special effects.  Together with the acting and writing, and even the relatable teen challenges tied into each episode, this re-issue of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad Season 1 Volume 1 a great addition to the library of any child of the 90s.

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Star Trek Sequel One Of Summer 2013′s Best

Courtesy: Paramount

Star Trek Into Darkness is one of the best movies of the Summer 2013 movie season.  However, for all of its successes, there is no denying that it is not a perfect work.  The movie, which clocks in at just over two hours keeps audiences engaged from the story’s opening moments.  And that is thanks in large part to following the standard Summer blockbuster formula.  Here’s where things get dicey, and some of this critic’s fellow Trek fans might be angered.  To those potentially angered readers, please read this entire review before attacking.

One of the biggest factors in the success of Star Trek Into Darkness is that much like its predecessor, audiences don’t have to know the rich history of Gene Roddenberry’s creation that started with Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS).  Its references to the movie franchise’s reboot were so few that audiences that have yet to see that movie need not worry about having seen it in order to enjoy this story.  Director J.J. Abrams and his staff of writers did an impressive job in keeping this tradition alive from the movies based on both TOS and TNG.  Though, those that are long-time fans of both Star Trek TOS and the long running movie franchise will enjoy it just as much as TOS and the movie franchise’s reboot.  Long-time fans will enjoy the reference in this movie to the famed Troubles with Tribbles episode from TOS.  Long-time fans will enjoy seeing actor Leonard Nimoy reprise his role as the original Spock just as much (not to reveal too much).  That’s right.  Leonard Nimoy is back once again.  And long-time fans will love how Abrams and company poke fun at themselves with his re-appearance.  How they go about doing so will be kept under wraps so as to not spoil another positive moment from an overall impressive work.

Director J.J. Abrams and his staff of writers did an impressive job making a story that much like the movies from TOS and TNG, doesn’t require knowledge of the previous movie to be enjoyed.  This and the references to TOS played important roles in this movie’s success.  Just as much cause for success was the personal growth of Chris Pine’s Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock.  Kirk starts off in this movie the same brash almost Tom Cruise “Maverick” style figure as they were introduced to in the series’ 2009 reboot.  It would be impossible to explain this without spoiling at least one aspect of the movie.  That aspect would be that Admiral Pike is killed off.  In his death, audiences finally see Kirk grow as a person.  They see what was obviously the relationship of a son and his (for all intents and purposes) surrogate father in Pike.  Audiences also see the relationship between Spock and Kirk grow even more from their initial meeting in the 2009 reboot.  This is perhaps one of very few aspects of this work that would require viewers to have seen the previous film in order to appreciate it.  Theirs are the only relationships that show any growth from the previous installment in the franchise.  That’s not an entirely bad thing.  Simon Pegg is as funny as ever in his role as Scotty.  And the relationship between Scotty, Kirk, Spock and Bones produces more than its share of laughs once again.

For everything that makes Star Trek Into Darkness such a success, it isn’t without its faults.  This story has plenty of comical moments between cast members; enough that they would make quite the blooper reel in the movie’s home release.  But one can’t help but look back on the movie and realize just how much running around and yelling filled most of the story.  There was so much that in hindsight, it makes for more than enough fodder for Saturday Night Live’s writers to spoof.  Thankfully for the movie’s staff of writers, all the running around and yelling wasn’t enough to overpower the story’s main plot that while not overly original, is still nicely updated.  It’s a story that is well worth its time overall, whether one is an experienced Star Trek fan or not.

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Hyde Park On Hudson One Of The Worst Historical Works In Years

Courtesy: Universal Studios/Focus Features

Hyde Park on Hudson is one of the least enjoyable movies of 2012 and just as uninteresting now that is has been released to DVD and Blu-ray.  The problem with this attempt at a semi-biopic is the lack of balance between the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s relationship with his mistress Margaret “Daisy” Stuckley and that of the visit by King George and his wife, Queen Elizabeth.  The script attempts to tie the two storylines together.  But in that effort, writer Richard Nelson and director Roger Michell have instead crafted a story that ends up plodding along at a near snail’s pace all while not really amounting to anything by the time it ends.  The story is narrated by what is supposed to be Margaret Suckley, explaining her relationship.  Herein lies another issue with the story.  Because it is told from the vantage point of “the other woman”, there’s no way to ignore the comparison to the Madonna helmed W./E.  Just as the latter was an art film, this movie comes across the same way, eventually amounting to nothing.

The initial comparison to W./E. is only one problem with Hyde Park on Hudson.  Anyone that has any knowledge of presidential history or even the slightest interest in said history know that Roosevelt was just one of so many political figures that has been anything but faithful in their marriage.  Keeping this in mind, it makes the storyline of FDR’s relationship with his mistress–and only certain people knowing about it—all the less interesting.  Had the story been more focused and aimed perhaps at the political relationship between the British royals and the President, it might have actually had more substance about it.  But sadly, Nelson opts instead for the more dramatized side of things, going more for the intended soap opera that surrounded FDR and his mistress, again causing the story’s pacing to drag along slowly, and thus leave audiences feel robbed of their time.

For all of the negatives surrounding Hyde Park on Hudson, it does have at least one positive.  That positive would be its backdrops and associated cinematography.  The beautiful countryside backdrops of the story are beautiful.  And thanks to the expert work of the movie’s film crew, those backdrops became the real stars of the movie; even more so than lead star Bill Murray who did quite the job of portraying the late President.  Murray’s portrayal leaves one wondering if he did so well, then how much better could this script have been had Nelson and Michell come to terms on which story was more important.  But because of Hollywood’s seemingly insatiable appetite for prequels, sequels, and reboots, one can only hope that should the story of Roosevelt’s “secret” ever be retold, it will star Murray again, but actually have more worth seeing.

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Hope Springs A Funny, Heartfelt Rom-Com For Every Married Couple

Courtesy: MGM/Escape Artists/Mandate Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Hope Springs is one of Meryl Streep’s most heartfelt, moving performances of her entire career.  Despite what many might want to believe, it isn’t just another chick flick.  It’s a movie that every married couple should see no matter how long they have been married.  Co-star Tommy Lee Jones has been typecast once again as another gruff personality in a power of authority.  Typically, he stars as a police officer or another similar authority figure in his movies.  This time, he stars as a high powered businessman.  Ironically enough, while he has been typecast yet again, his character Arnold is a fitting counterpoint to Streep’s Kay.  The couple has gotten far too comfortable in its marriage, and has completely grown apart.  It’s a simple story.  Yet it’s such a realistic story, unlike so many rom-coms that Hollywood has churned out over the years.

Many audiences seem to have had a belief that Hope Springs was aimed largely at older audiences.  But the reality of the story is that it mirrors life for younger married couples just as much as for those with years of experience.  The story is less about Kay and Arnold’s sex life or lack thereof than it is about simply how the pair has forgotten who the other is.  As a result Kay and Arnold are more strangers to each other than a married couple.  Again, this is something that is just as easy for younger couples to have happen as for those who have been marred for decades.  Maybe that is why the audiences and critics that panned it did so.  Perhaps, just perhaps, those that panned it didn’t like seeing the reality of their own lives playing out on screen.  This sort of denial and rejection is exemplified through Arnold’s own refusal and denial to talk to Doctor Feld (played here by Steve Carell in what is one of his most impressive roles yet, too).  No one likes to have to admit when things aren’t the way they are in life.  This is especially the case when it comes to relationships and marriages.  If viewers can get past their own pride—as Arnold was forced to do—they will see just how much value this story has, even if watched just once and that it is okay to admit that no one’s marriage is perfect.  It’s something that couples have to work at throughout their lives.  As John Lennon and his band mates in The Beatles sang, “All you need is love.”

The central story of Hope Springs is one to which any married couple can relate.  For all of its deep, heartfelt moments, audiences can’t possibly ignore the story’s funnier moments.  The way in which Doctor Feld candidly talks about Kay and Arnold’s sexual relationship and the couple’s reaction to his candid discussion.  This is just one more factor that makes Hope Springs so enjoyable for any married couple.  The very thought of discussing what goes on behind closed doors or in the deepest recesses of a person’s mind is still considered very taboo by most Americans.  Keeping this in mind in seeing the reaction of both Kay and Arnold will leave any viewer laughing.  It’s obvious how uncomfortable both Kay and Arnold felt in discussing their sex life…or in their case, the lack thereof.  For all of the comic elements of these moments, the deeper more emotional root of the couple’s lack of intimacy reminds audiences how serious this can be on a marriage.  It’s just one more aspect of the near two hour movie that makes it surprisingly enjoyable.

The acting and the writing of Hope Springs are both important to the movie’s success.  There is one more factor that should be given note here in the story’s success.  That factor is the work of the movie’s makeup department.  In so many of the movies in which Streep has starred, she has managed to look different from her previous role.  This movie is one more of those cases.  This movie’s makeup department is to be highly commended for making Meryl look so believable as an older woman.  From the makeup to the hair, there was something about her look that was completely different from her previous roles.  It was done so expertly that one can’t help but wonder, is this perhaps what she would look like off-screen without her makeup?  In other words, the hair and makeup looked natural.  And to look natural is a success.  It makes Kay that much more believable as a character.  And along with the acting of both Streep and Jones, and the story’s writing, Hope Springs turns out as a whole, to be a movie that any married couple should see at least once in their marriage.  It is available now in stores and online.

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Satriani Proves He’s Still Got Plenty Of “Momentum” On New LP

Courtesy: Epic Records/RED Distribution

Joe Satriani’s latest release, Unstoppable Momentum is the famed guitarist’s best release since his 2006 album, Super Colossal.  This new record is the album that fans have waited for since the release of Super Colossal.  It is just as bombastic as Super Colossal and more at some points.  It’s also just as gentle as SC, too at different points.  Perhaps a big reason for the success of this record is the Satch opted for a different backing group than he typically uses on his records.  Many of Satriani’s past records were recorded with Jeff Campitelli on drums and Allen Whitman on bass.  This time out, Satch opted instead to have drummer Vinnie Colaiuta man the kit and Chris Chaney add the low end on bass.  Another change to the lineup that could have created such a difference on this record from his other works was the inclusion of Mike Frasier behind the glass once again.  The two are quite familiar with one another, having worked together on no less than six of Satch’s previous records, including his most recent album, Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards (2010) and Super Colossal.  He also helped with the creation of both of Chickenfoot’s current releases on which Joe played guitar.  That familiarity and friendship between the pair—and the inclusion of new musicians–obviously played a role in the record’s sound as it has proven to be not just his best record since Super Colossal, but one of his finest records to date.

Right from the opening number of Unstoppable Momentum, long-time fans of Satriani’s work know they are in for quite a ride.  The album opens fittingly with its title track.  Simply listening to the song, one can’t help but hear that perhaps Satriani is making a statement early on that even fourteen albums in, he still has a lot left to offer audiences.  He still has that “unstoppable momentum.”  The song’s seeming ABA structure starts off easy before really kicking things up in the middle section.  Joe shows without a doubt that he’s still got plenty left in the tank with his “solos” in this section while drummer Vinnie Colaiuta gives an added intensity with his musicianship behind the kit.  He proves to be just as solid as [Jeff] Campitelli, if not more so.  His ability to handle polyrhythmic patters without missing a single beat is impressive to say the least, both here and throughout the record.  This is just one example of what makes this such a solid record.

Another good example of what makes Unstoppable Momentum a success is the almost Beatles-esque, ‘I’ll Put a Stone on Your Cabin.’  The song’s “A” sections have something of a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club influence.  Somehow, Satriani and his band mates manage to tie in a sound that is quite the counterpoint to this vibe, making the song into a piece unlike anything that Satriani has ever recorded throughout his career.  It is one of those songs that simply must be heard to be appreciated and understood.      

There is at least one more example of what makes this new record one that fans will enjoy.  And it is the album’s absolutely shortest, but most touching piece.  That song is the one minute and forty-three minute long, ‘I’ll Put a Stone on Your Cairn.’  For those that don’t know, one of the traditional uses of a cairn is as a monument to one who has passed on.  Its use roots all the way back to prehistoric Eurasia.  So placing a stone on one’s cairn would be an act of tribute and remembrance to the deceased.  Keeping all of this in mind, the gentle, dulcet tones of this short opus are sure to create thoughts in the minds of listeners of perhaps those that they have lost.  It offers some of the album’s deepest emotions and is sure to generate among listeners some of the deepest emotions, as well.  Without a doubt, this song may end up being a favorite for fans, even as short as it is.  And it is just one more among so many that listeners will enjoy throughout the course of the album’s eleven total tracks.  The album is available now in stores and online.  It can be ordered online via Joe’s website, http://www.satriani.com, where he has links to iTunes, Amazon, and through his own website.  Fans can also order the new album and all sorts of Joe Satriani gear through his official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/joesatriani.  Fans can keep up with the latest tour updates and news from Joe on his Facebook page, too.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.