DAMMIT, I seem to be fresh out of minions. This did not stop us from seeing “Despicable Me” in 3D or D3 or whatever. #fb Steve Carell: Strange Accents And Subtle Departures : NPR We’re halfway through the summer, and Toy Story 3 and Shrek Forever After have already come and gone. This weekend marks the release of the latest animated kid flick, Despicable Me. It’s about a fellow named Gru — who’s trying very hard to be the world’s biggest bad guy. TV and movie star Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, NBC’s The Office) provided the voiceover for the…
-
-
‘Quantum of Solace’ stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko — chicagotribune.com Compared with “Casino Royale,” ” Quantum of Solace” is a disappointment. Craig anchors it, and Judi Dench’s M enjoys some fine, stern scenes, but director Marc Forster “Finding Neverland,” “Monster’s Ball,” “The Kite Runner” isn’t much of an action man. There’s plenty, but half the time it’s visually incoherent. Yep, pretty much. The review goes on to compare the Bond action scenes with the “Jason Bourne” movies’ action scenes, from which they were clearly derived. Actually, a couple of the “gags” were just like ones in…
-
My husband David and I spent the weekend either running around in the heat shopping for materials for a couple of easily-accomplished home improvement tasks, or dragging ourselves “into the cool” of the house to have a tasty beverage and recover our energy for a bit. Also, there was napping. It was a good weekend for that. We managed to complete one little project day before yesterday, on Saturday. The guys that poured the driveway had left trenches down the side of the driveway where the wooden forms had been staked into the ground for the pour, and after looking…
-
I finally got around to viewing the DVD, which I purchased from the Field Museum’s shop – they have an entire section of their very large shop devoted to fair trade items and environmentally-sensitive gifts. In spite of my pre-2000 dismissal of former Vice President Al Gore Jr. as a slightly dorky wonk, I was very moved by his presentation and the lifelong passion he’s had for learning about the environment, and for raising the alarm about climatic change. Yes, it’s annoying that he uses buzzwords and talking points, just like the Republicans, but also it’s incredibly frustrating and sobering…
-
My husband David and I saw “The Bourne Ultimatum” earlier this afternoon -and it was a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours’ worth of entertainment, thrills, and surprisingly apt commentary that transcends mere “spy movie” convention. The Trib had this to say about it, and it cheers me to see that I also picked up on the three important little words that boost this flick from “ho-hum second sequel action movie” to “great thriller that dares to be political.” It’s (pant) not just (pant) a chase movie (whew!) — chicagotribune.com People may be drawn to the film by the promise of…
-
Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming. The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This Is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7. The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This Is Spinal Tap"…
-
George Lucas: Empire was the worst Star Wars movie » Netscape.com Ran across a reference to this whilst browsing around chasing down references to the next Star Trek movie. Apparently, George Lucas said at a Publicists' Guild luncheon that "The Empire Strikes Back" was his worst movie. Funny, my friend Kevin and I had just agreed that "Empire" was the best.
-
What I Did Over Christmas Vacation « Missed Manners At least three. These folks need to hook up with Fellowship of the Peep for the next candy "movie," when they re-create Minas Tirith Via BoingBoing.
-
NPR : Harrison Ford Returns As Indiana Jones Another graying action star is reviving an old role. Harrison Ford will once again crack the whip, 18 years after Indiana Jones' last adventure. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are also back, directing and producing. Excited fans do wonder if, at 64, Indy can still do the stunts. I'm wondering, too. I'll never forget the time I saw the first Indiana Jones movie, which was around New Years when I was still in college. I've been a fan of Harrison Ford's since American Graffiti and Star Wars (okay, yes, I've had the…
-
David and I celebrated Jewish Christmas yesterday with my in-laws; we went to a movie and then drove around looking for a Chinese restaurant that was open. Actually, we never did, but a sports bar was open, so that's where we ended up eating. The movie was "The Good Shepherd," which was extremely layered and nuanced. You really had to pay attention to details, and the foreshadowing was there for the ending, but it was so subtle that when I pointed it out to my husband David, he was amazed. Matt Damon's performance as CIA man Edward Wilson was masterful;…