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Review: The Last New Yorker

2011-04-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

It’s always hard when you realize you’re growing older. Everything around you is changing. The city you grew up in isn’t the same. All the mom and pop shops you used to frequent are selling out to the newest, biggest franchise. Life is passing you by. This is what’s happening to lifelong friends Lenny and Ruben, two old school New Yorkers in their 70’s, in The Last New Yorker, the full length directorial debut from Harvey Wang.

As Lenny and Ruben–Lenny more so–try and hold onto the days of yesteryear, Lenny gets some unfortunate news. He learns from his nephew that he’s broke. All Lenny has to his name is $5,000 that his nephew put aside for him in a bank account.

As Lenny tries to cope with the fact that the New York of his youth...read full review.

Today Is My Birthday

2011-04-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I turn 25 today. 25 is half way to 50 and it's pretty crazy to think I'm half way to 50. Time really flies by. So far, this has been a great birthday. My fantastic friends took me out over the weekend. I was able to eat some good food, get some great gifts and see a movie I think I liked. Tonight, when I get off of work, I'll be going home to dinner. I'm looking forward to that.

Scrolling through IMDB today and I noticed that I share my birthday with some pretty awesome people and I never even knew it. James Franco, for example was born today, 8 years before myself. There's pretty much no cooler person to share a birthday with, is there? I mean, besides Steve McQueen, I certainly can't think of anyone, and since McQueen was born on some other day, I'll happily take sharing this day with Franco. Now, if only I could borrow some of his cool.

Another actor of note born today is Tim Curry. Who doesn't love Tim Curry? That's right, no one. We all love him.

Better than who was born on this same day as me though is the birthdays I'm sandwiched in between. Yesterday, April 18, was Conan O'Brien's birthday. Conan will always be my favorite Simpsons' writer, talk show host and flat out funniest person in the world to me. Absolutely love that guy. Tomorrow, April 20, is the day Adolf Hitler was born. So if you're making a birthday sandwich using April 18, 19, and 20, Conan and Hitler would be the bread and I would be the meat. Interesting right? If killing and hating Jews isn't your thing, switch Hitler out with Clint Howard. Still a good slice of bread and only slightly less racist.

Closet Monster Films: The Bum at Holgas

2011-04-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Check out the newest short film I was part of! Let me know what you think!

Closet Monster Films: The Bum at Holgas: "A few weeks ago Brett approached me for an idea he had for a short video about a bum. The idea was very simple but funny and we had intended..."

Dark of the Matinee: Odd Thomas Getting Quite The Cast

2011-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dark of the Matinee: Odd Thomas Getting Quite The Cast: "If you know me or if you listened to the podcast a few weeks ago, you know how much I love the Odd Thomas' series of books from Dean Koontz..."

2011-04-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Check out the newest episode of my podcast, Dark of the Matinee. This week we're onto episode #6 and the second part of our month long JAWS marathon as Matt Robinson and I discuss Jaws 2.

Listen for free here: http://darkofthematinee.podbean.com/2011/04/05/dark-of-the-matinee-episode-6-jaws-2/

Also be sure to subscribe on iTunes and follow us on Twitter @Dark_Matinee

While you're at it, "like" us on FaceBook: facebook.com/darkofthematineepodcast

2011-04-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Travis Mills is a young, up-and-coming director and writer from Phoenix, Arizona. He’s the cofounder of both Running Wild Films and GUERRILLASTAR PRODUCTIONS, both based out of the Phoenix area, although GUERRILASTAR has roots in New York as well.

I first came across the work of Mills at the 2010 Arizona Underground Film Festival, which contained two projects Mills had worked on: Bloody Basin in which he was producer and script supervisor, and The Ruffians, his debut into both the worlds of directing and writing.

Both short films were impressive, but The Ruffians is the one that truly stood out to me. The film was visually interesting and had a story that pulled you in. The short had all the signs of a director that knew exactly what he was doing. I immediately new Mills would be someone I’d like to keep an eye on.

Well, the newest project from Mills has certainly sparked my interest.

Currently, Mills is in pre-production on his first feature length film, The Big Something, a record-store-murder-mystery that will be...click here for full article

Phoenix Film Festival

2011-04-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix Film Festival returns to the desert for the 11th straight year from March 31-April 7, 2011 at the Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theatre.

The Phoenix Film Festival has rapidly been growing over the past decade, quickly becoming a favorite of many filmmakers. In past years the festival has showcased films from all over the world from Do It For Uncle Manny in 2002 to (500) Days of Summer in 2009 to Cyrus and Middle Men headlining last year.

This year things will have a new twist as the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival join forces with the Phoenix Film Festival, giving movie goers the opportunity to see more horror movies than in years past.

The festivities kick off with the documentary Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story on opening premiere night. The documentary tales the tell of Al Buhler, the legendary Duke track and field coach that has touched and inspired the lives of many including Carl Lewis and Shane Battier. The film is executive produced by former Duke stand out...visit Trashwire to read the rest.

We Don't Need No Education

2010-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

I've been debating recently whether or not I should go back to school. I haven't made up my mind yet though. It's been forever since I went and I'm not sure what I'd go for if I went back. I was last going for elementary education, but I've moved on from that.

It's so tough to get motivated. If I did go back I would more than likely have to take online classes and I'm not so sure I'd actually do the work and what not in an online setting. Hmmmm.

Then there's that whole issue of where to go. I need to do something though.

George Jetson is a God Damn Liar!

2010-01-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

I hate thinking about the future. How do you prepare for it? You can't. Everything that has ever told us anything about the future has been wrong. There's no flying cars. We're not living in space. And unfortunately, that's what I planned for, so now I'm screwed. We were promised flying cars and space colonies and that's what I want dammit! Is that really too much to ask for?

As nice as it can be to not know what's going to happen or what the future will bring, whether it be the immediate future or way down the line, it also sucks not knowing what's going to happen. There's not one specific thing I'm talking about either. Just things in general.

Now that I know there can be a world without Conan, what hope does humanity have?

Damn you, NBC, damn you to hell! shakes fist

2010-01-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not gonna do, what everybody thinks I'm gonna do...and flip out! All I wanna know, is who's coming with me?

I'm officially ready to boycot NBC. As much as I love The Office and Parcks & Rec, I love Conan more, so I'm done with those shows as long as they're on NBC and Jeff Zucker continues to run things over at NBC.

Zucker is obivously a complete moron. I don't understand how a guy like that can make so much money to be a retard. Think about it. You've got these two options:

A. Stick with the man you have under contract to host the Tonight Show, who happens to be the same man you promised the show to, who also happened to move his entire family across country so he could take the job as the host of the Tonight Show, all while still managing to be the funniest man on the planet and have legions of followers.

or

B. Give the show back to the man with the current show with the ratings so bad that it started this huge mess of switching people's time slots around. Oh and by the way, this man also said he was retiring.

Obviously, going with option B and his terrible ratings is the most logical move to be made here.

I grew up on Conan. My entire life I've always considered him the funniest man to ever exist and I don't see that changing ever. He was a great writer on SNL and the best writer ever for the best television show of all time, The Simpsons! How NBC could ever even consider about thinking about considering the idea of maybe getting rid of Conan is beyond me.

What really gets me though, is that fact that I'm not alone in how I feel. Millions of people think the same way and they're letting NBC know about it. Yet, NBC still rather move on without him? Are we living in some kind of bizarro world???

Leno and Conan can't even be compared. Conan is a comic genius. Leno on the other hand, doesn't even tell jokes. They guy reads typos. Seriously, that's all he does. The only joke there is that NBC actually thinks that's entertaining. I see typos everyday, no big deal.

So to you NBC, I say fuck you and your stupid peacock.

Today I Vow...

2010-01-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

...to start writing in this blog more often. I'm not really going to write more today, I just want everyone to be aware that I will start updating this thing more in 2010! If I don't, punch me.

The Best Toaster Made Breakfast

2009-11-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

I hate toaster strudel commercials. You know why? Because they always pick on pop tarts and talk about how they're so much better, but they're not. It's not even close. Pop tarts own toaster strudels for many reasons.

1. TASTE- The most obvious is taste, pop tarts are much more yummy. If you think toaster strudels taste better than pop tarts, you my friend, are a fool. You find me a toaster strudel that tastes better than a pop tart and I'll buy you lunch.

2. EFFORT - Kellogs clearly puts more effort into making pop tarts than Pilsbury puts into making toaster strudels. With toaster strudels, Pilsbury expects you to do their job for them, at home, for free. It's a complete joke! No way am I putting my own frosting on! What is this, the middle ages? Outrageous! Kellogs on the other hand, gives you the pop tart with the frosting already on. Thank you, Kellogs!

3. CONVENIENCE - Pop tarts are far more convenient which makes keeping up with the hustle and bustle of that little thing called life all the easier. On top of the aforementioned frosting already being applied, pop tarts can be eaten without going in the toaster. Hey, Pilsbury, can you do that with a toaster strudel? What's that? You can if you want to get food poisoning? Oh, isn't that great. Why even have a quick breakfast to eat on the go if you have to stop to throw it in the toaster every time? It's pointless. What if I wake up 2 minutes late? If I'm choosing to have a pop tart, I can take it with me, open it and eat it on the way. If I'm having a toaster strudel, I'm now going to be two minutes late for work and get yelled at by the boss. Thanks a lot, Pilsbury.

4. SPECIAL EDITION - Have you ever seen a special edition, themed toaster strudel? Neither have I! You know what I have seen though? Many different types of pop tarts. I've seen Hello Kitty pop tarts and Simpsons pop tarts and Spongebob pop tarts and I could go on and on. Why aren't these awesome trademarked images lending their likeness to toaster strudels? Hmmmm. I wonder.

Basically, if you want a quick, convenient, tasty breakfast treat, have a pop tart. If you want to be late for work, yelled at my the boss which will eventually lead to your being fired which will cause your girlfriend/wife to leave you which will lead to you losing your house and then eventually committing suicide, have a toaster strudel.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Halloween was definitely a treat this year. Started the night off by watching John Carpenter's Halloween followed by a bit of "The Munsters." Then headed off to a party with the best people and met a real live lego! Watched some friends get drunk, hung out, pulled a sleeve ;), heard Norma say "Roger" a billion times, went to Denny's and encountered some doucheness, walked to my door, got home about 4:30ish. Good times indeed.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

"This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him."- Conan O'Brien

"Where there is no imagination there is no horror."- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."- William Shakespeare ("Macbeth"

"One need not be a chamber to be haunted; One need not be a house; The brain has corridors surpassingMaterial place." - Emily Dickinson

My candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open... -Mary Shelley ("Frankenstein")

Blog Bloggied Blog Blog Blog

2009-10-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

I went to two Savers, one Goodwill, one Target and one Ross today to get the different things to make my Halloween costume. I think it came out pretty nice. I can't wait for Halloween! It shall be amazing!

First Suns game of the year about to start in an hour or so. Can't wait. We're goin' to kill the freakin' Clippers and it's goin' to rule!

Home opener is this Friday against Golden State. Should be a blast and a fun game. You guys ready?!?! I am!!!

Proof That People Are Idiots

2009-10-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I head over to IMDB this morning to check the box office numbers from the weekend and I see that Paranormal Activty is number one. Really? Paranormal Activity? It won by a pretty good margin too, beating Saw VI and Where The Wild Things Are by about $8 million each. Beating Saw VI is one thing, but Where The Wild Things Are? Come on people! Spike freakin' Jonze directed a movie based off one of, if not the, greatest children's book of all time and you're going to see some lame horror movie instead?!

I saw Paranormal Activity, unfortunately, and I can honestly say it is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen in my life. Only time I've ever wanted to walk out of a movie theatre for something I paid for. Nothing happens. EVER. A door opening and closing is supposed to be frightening? Oh, and someone getting up and walking and standing in their sleep is absolutely insane because none of us have ever heard of sleep walking, right?

Look, I'm all for indie movies, but the nice thing about indie movies is that since they don't have the huge budget to waste on stupid effects, they tell us a story and have an impact on us. Paranormal Activity doesn't do either of those things! I don't care how small your budget is, you should at least be able to tell a story from beginning to end. They used what, $16,000 for this movie? I know that's nothing in movie terms, but that seems like an awful lot for a movie that contains 4 actors, takes place in one house, and is just a guy walking around with a camera recording nothing. Christopher Nolan's directorial debut, Following, only cost $6,000 and it's a far superior film, so I don't want to hear how Paranormal Activity is so good because the budget is so small.

So far this year Paranormal Activity has made more money than Where The Wild Things Are, Funny People, (500) Days of Summer, The Informant, The Invention of Lying, Adventureland, and it's quickly catching Zombieland. It's also topped past year's releases in Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Garden State. I think this is pretty solid evidence that people are idiots. Just saying.

San Francisco Treat

2009-10-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised I haven't blogged about this yet, but last Friday (October 2nd)LateNightCat and I went and seen Bob Saget at Celebrity Theatre. It was one of the best moments of my life. His stand up is insanely funny. Everybody should see him at least once. And we were so close to the stage. It was nuts. We were like three feet away. Amazing.

The opening comedian, Ryan Stout, was hilarious as well. I definitely hope he comes back soon. He kind of looks Jason Bateman.

My New Weekly Suns Blog

2009-10-15T13:27:00.001-07:00

Today starts the first day of my weekly Suns blog for www.downtownphoenixjournal.com so check it out. My fist blog is about how Suns fans need to be more involved at the games. Go give it a read and leave a comment about what you think.

This Is Your Call To Action, Suns Fans

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/2009/10/15/call-action-suns-fans/

It's been a while...

2009-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

...since I've posted a blog. Not sure why I haven't written anything, just haven't gotten around to it I suppose. Not a whole lot to talk about really. Seen some movies, the last of which being Paranormal Activity and it was a piece of shit. Not really fair to call that one a movie. I'd rather watch both Transformers movies back to back than watch that crap again. I don't understand why it has so much hype and so many good reviews. I've honestly never been more bored during a movie. Nothing happens. Ever. Just two people walking around their house with a camera. Every now and then you heard a thud or scratching noise. Completely ridiculous! I guess your supposed to be stupidly religious to find this movie scary or whatever. All I know is that it was a waste of my time....

....onto other news, the Suns season is about to start. They already have two preseason games under their belt with a third to take place tonight. I think it's going to be a very interesting season. I'm pumped for it....

....which brings me on to my next topic. Starting this Thursday you can read my weekly Suns blog over at http://www.downtownphoenixjournal.com/ which is a great site dedicated to all things Downtown Phoenix. I highly suggest you check it out. I'm still working on coming up with a title for my blog, so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them....

....Halloween is right around the corner. I'm pretty excited about that. Have most of the Halloween stuff up. Looks pretty good, but still needs some work. The house around the corner from me looks really good, so I must step it up a notch...

....going to see Bob Dylan this Saturday at the fair. Should be awesome. It's freakin Bob Dylan...

....and lastly I've been part of two shorts films. I think they came out pretty good for being our first attempts. Check 'em out. Watch them in order though, as they go together.

The "Drop"

The Pickup

Top Ten Albums of the Noughts

2009-09-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, Paste Magazine has been trying to see what album has been the best album of the decade by seeing what it's readers suggest. So that got me to thinking about my favorite albums of the decade and thus, I've come up with a list of my top ten. Let me first start by saying I am not counting compilations, soundtracks, best of, or live albums. If I did that, albums like Led Zeppelin's "How The West Was Won" or the Garden State soundtrack would be towards the top, despite having music that was written and released in different decades. Basically, I chose albums that I believe are the best to listen to over and over. Anywho, here I go...

10. "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens (July 5, 2005)

This one easily had to make my top ten. Such a brilliant album. Sufjan Stevens is basically a god. He's had quite a few good albums this decade and I had to choose between this and his Christmas album. Highlight tracks: "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," "Decatur, or, Roud of Applause for Your Step-Mother!," and "Chicago."

9. "Raising Sand" by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss (October 23, 2007)

Quite possibly one of the strangest duos in music history, but they teamed up to make a top notch album. The vocals of both Plant and Krauss go together perfectly. Hopefully they continue to work together in the future. Highlight tracks: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," "Please Read The Letter," and "Polly Come Home."

8. "Elephant" by the White Stripes (April 1, 2003)

It was really hard to decide which White Stripes album to put on this list. Finally, after a long debate, I decided on "Elephant." I love this album and could listen to all day, everyday. At the same time though, I can basically say that about any White Stripes album. Highlight tracks: "Seven Nation Army," "Well It's True That We Love One Another," and "I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart."

7. "Suprise" by Paul Simon (May 9, 2006)

Paul Simon is probably the one person that could easily have a top ten album in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and 00's. The man is simply a musical genius. He has such a wide range of talents with every album of his having a completely different feel and sound from his last. Despite the some what creepy album cover, this is still one of my favorite albums of the decade. Highlight tracks: "Outrageous," "That's Me," and "How Can You Live In The Northeast?"

6. "Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (November 24, 2008)

This album of B-sides and rarities from Weezer's front man is highly enjoyable. B-sides have always be a favorite of mine and this is one of the best. While the sound quality isn't the best on every track, you can definitely still enjoy the music. For me, it's always fun to hear some of the first things musicians were working on or demos of some of their earlier stuff and this album has plenty of that. Along with the songs, you get a little story about each one inside the booklet from Rivers. Highlight tracks: "Can't Stop Partying," "Paper Face," and "I Want To Take You Home Tonight."

5. "Volume One" by She & Him (March 18, 2008)

Obvisouly, anything with Zooey Deschanel is going to rank very high on my list. She has the most incredible voice and when you combine that with M.Ward nothing but good things can happen. "Sentimental Heart" was my ringtone forever! Highlight tracks: "Sentimnetal Heart," "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?," and "I Was Made For You."

4. "Woman King" by Iron & Wine (February 22, 2005)

Inititally, I was going to leave EP's off this list, but then I realized that a top ten list wouldn't be complete for me without "Woman King." This is hands down one of my favorite albums to listen to. The songs never tire. Beautiful album. Highlight tracks: "Woman King," "Jezebel," and "My Lady's House."

3. "Nighttiming" by Cocont Records (March 20, 2007)

I've already had a favorite actress make the list, so why not have a favorite actor as well? Jason Schwartzman's solo debut is one of the most fun albums I've ever heard. Schwartzman plays every instrument on the album plus gets some guest vocals from Zooey and others. I love it. Hightlight tracks: "Nighttiming," "Ask Her To Dance," and "West Coast."

2. "Plans" by Death Cab For Cutie (August 30, 2005)

Death Cab could have had mutliple albums on her, but I chose to go with their best all around effort. It doesn't hurt that this is the album that Grammy's finally started to take notice with. Their first major label release was a huge success. Highlight tracks: "Soul Meets Body," "Someday You Will Be Loved," and "Crooked Teeth."

1. "Sawdust" by the Killers (November 13, 2007)

As much as I like every album on this list, "Sawdust" was an easy, hands down choice for the number one spot. Not only do I find it to be the best album of the decade, it's one of my favorite albums of all time. I've probably listened to it more than anything else. This album is great because not only does it have unreleased Killers' tracks, it has covers of other bands songs (Joy Division, Kenny Rogers), and remixes of previous Killers' work. The Killers seem to be the only band that can make a good remix these days. If you don't already own it, buy this album! You could put "Sawdust" on repeat for the rest of my life, and I'd be more than happy. Highlight tracks: "Tranquilize," "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf," and "Daddy's Eyes."

Honorable mention: "Seeing Sounds" by N.E.R.D, "Album of the Year" by the Good Life, "Easy Tiger" by Ryan Adams, "The Reminder" by Fiest, "Hot Damn!" by Everytime I Die, "Sam's Town" by the Killers, "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves" by Dear and the Headlights.

Someone Must Come To His Defense

2009-08-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

"...understated offbeat-ness." "Masterful performance..." "...a resourceful and daring actor..." "Brilliant." "...inhabits this lonely, broken, everyday hero in a way no other actor ever could (save, perhaps, De Niro)."

"Worst Italian accent ever." "...lousy career over the last ten years." "...having misplaced his dignity (again)..." "...his performance is embarassing to the point of making you want to vomit." "A joke." "...overacting piece of shit..."

The preceeding comments have all been made about one actor: Nicolas Cage. It seems as if the latter have been becoming increasingly more common over the last few years, almost to the point where they're being said, simply because it's the cool thing to do. Being the Nicolas Cage fan that I am, I felt I must come to his defense.

Recently, rumors spread that Nicolas Cage would be playing the villian in the Michel Gondry/Seth Rogen Green Hornet project. Personally, I thought this was great news. I've always thought Cage would be great in a Gondry film and what better Gondry film than a super hero Gondry film. However, this is what Film Junk had to say about Cage signing on for this part:

"Whenever there’s a movie that no one wants to be involved in for one reason or another and they need an A-list actor ASAP, clearly there’s only one man for the job: Nicolas Cage."

Now, in no way do I believe that to be true. I've always felt that distinction belonged to Christopher Walken (Kangaroo Jack, Balls of Fury) or to a lesser extent, Samuel L. Jackson (he definitely does a lot more terrible movies, but he's not nearly the actor Walken is).

To my shock, it seems as if most people on the interweb (and a good portion of the people I know) agree with Film Junk. So I've decided to try and see why it is that so many people dislike Nicolas Cage. I've heard lots of different things from people: he does terrible accents, he over acts, he's too eccentric, he takes on terrible roles, his movies in general just aren't good movies, he's ugly. After all I read and heard from people, it seems as if the consensus is that Cage is simply put, just a poor actor.

To find out why people felt this way, I decided to see which of his films they had seen. It appears most people are judging him best off of performances in the following films: Wicker Man, Next, Bangkok Dangerous, Ghost Rider, Con Air, and Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

(Before I go on, I just want to say that Con Air is bad ass. Yes, it is basically a B-movie with A-list actors. Yes, it is entirely unbelievable. Yes, Cage's long hair is hilarious. Yes, the plot is ridiculously dumb. But, this movie isn't supposed to be taken seriously. It's clearly an over the top, insanely ridiculous, summer block buster, type action movie. Anyone who watches expecting different is a douche.)

Ok, now back on to people disliking Nicolas Cage...

Obviously, if those are the movies you're judging him off, you're not going to like him. They're all terrible movies, this is true (although minus Con Air like I mentioned, and I can't comment on Captain Corelli's Mandolin, because I've yet to see it, although I actually hear it's good, just Cage does a bad accent).

First, let's talk about the accents. Yes, Cage does bad accents. That's just not his forte, although I appreciate the effort. But honestly, how can you judge an actor by his accents? There's lots of actors, especially American ones, that do terrible accents. Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Charlton Heston, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and John Malkovich all come to mind. Can we call them all bad actors because of poor accents? Of course not!

Then there's the people that say, "well, he's been in bad movies, so he must be a bad actor." Really? Has anyone see Righteous Kill? Or what about Analyze This and Analyze That? The Rocky and Bullwinkle Movie? Now, would you call Robert DeNiro a bad actor? Nope! So why doesn't the same logic apply to Nicolas Cage? You have to judge an actor by his body of work, not by just a few select titles that you choose.

Now for those that judge him best on Wicker Man. To you, I say, why the fuck were you watching Wicker Man?!?! Seriously! Did you see the trailer? It clearly did not look good. To me, Wicker Man is a movie that only fans of Nicolas Cage fans should watch. The movies is horrendous, but at the very least Cage is entertaining. No, he's not entertaining in a good acting performance in a bad movie way. But he is entertaning in a way where it appears as if he's doing whatever he wants. It's almost as if Cage was like, "you know what, this movie isn't going to be good, so I'm just going to go way over the top!"

Lastly, for those of you that say he's ugly. What does that matter?! Yeah, he's not the best looking guy. In fact, he got the lead in Valley Girl, when the director took his name out of the ugly pile. But you know what? Kathy Bates and Philip Seymour Hoffman aren't winning any beauty pagents and they sure know how to act!

So like I said, it seems most people only judge him based on a small portion of movies. When asked if this people had seen The Weather Man or Adaptation, most responded with something along the lines of, "Nope, saw Cage was in it, so I stayed away." So what you're saying is you chose to watch Bangkok Dangerous and Next even though they starred Nicolas Cage but stayed away from The Weather Man and Adaptation? What this leads me to believe is that the majority of the Cage naysayers are people that must be fans of guys like Tom Cruise or Colin Farrell or whatever lame action movie guys there is. Clearly, these people favor watered down, generic, Hollywood action blockbusters over art movies with plot and character development.

I implore all of you to watch The Weather Man, to watch Adaptation, to watch Wild At Heart, to watch Raising Arizona, to watch Bringing Out The Dead, to watch Red Rock West, to watch Leaving Las Vega. You won't be disappointed. All those movies are brilliant, absolutely brilliant! And not only are they brilliant, they display a wide range of acting. The man came be depressing and gloomy (Leaving Las Vegas), hilariously funny (Raising Arizona), or both (The Weather Man, Bringing Out The Dead).

So please watch those movies. Once you do, I think you'll have a different opinion on Nicolas Cage.

(By the way, for those that are curious, I decided to write this blog after seeing the trailer for Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. I think the trailer looks amazing, but lots of people seem to think it's a slap in the face to Harvey Keitel, who played in the original Bad Lieutenant. But I don't see how Nicolas Cage and Werner Herzog, yes, Werner FN Herzog, will fail. The movies will be great. Watch the trailer below. Let me know what you think.)

Let's All Go To The Movies

2009-08-28T16:22:00.001-07:00

So far, 2009 has already been a great year for movies in my opinion. Inglourious Basterds, (500) Days of Summer, Whatever Works, Away We Go, Up, The Hangover, Public Enemies, Rudo Y Cursi, Tokyo!, District 9, Taking Woodstock, I Love You Man, Adam, Cold Souls, have all been great, and I know there's plenty more I've left off. But what has yet to come out this year (at least in Phoenix for some), could possibly be better...

Extract directed by Mike Judge and starring Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Afleck

World's Greatest Dad directed by Bobcat Goldthwait and starring Robin Williams

It Might Get Loud directed by Davis Guggenheim and featuring Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge

No Impact Man directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein

The Other Man directed by Richard Eyre and starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, and Antonio Banderas

Rage directed by Sally Porter and starring Jude Law, Judi Dench, and Steve Buscemi.

A Serious Man directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, and Sari Lennick

Zombieland directed by Ruben Fleischer and starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone

Whip It directed by Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymoe and Kristen Wiig

An Education directed by Lone Scherfig and starring Peter Sargaard

Youth In Revolt directed by Miguel Arteta and starring Michael Cera, Ray Liotta, and Steve Buscemi

The Men Who Stare At Goats directed by Grant Heslov and starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey

Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked) directed by Richard Curtis and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage, Val Kilmer, and Eva Mendes

Brothers directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhal, and Natalie Portman

Nine directed by Rob Marshall and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Hudson
Click Here for the trailer

Big Fan directed by Robert D. Siegel and starring Patton Oswalt and Kevin Corrigan

Where The Wild Things Are directed by Spike Jonze

New York, I Love You directed by Faith Akin and Yvan Attal and starring Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper

Gentlemen Broncos directed by Jared Hess and starring Jemaine Clement

There's more, but I'm going to go ahead and stop here. This is way too many trailers as it is.

Movies, Movies, Movies

2009-08-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

I'm seen a lot of movies lately. Some great, some not so good.

Julie & Julia - I enjoyed this movie. You gotta love Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

Humpday - This movie was terribly disappointing. I was expecting good things. I like Mark Duplass, but this movie just wasn't funny. This was one of the few films that I wanted to walk out of.

The Goods - Lame. I should've guessed this, but I thought it was gonna be good. The only part that made me laugh was Will Ferrell's cameo. Other than that, I didn't laugh once. I did like the cast though.

District 9 - Great movie. I thought the previews were lame and I wasn't sure how I felt about it after watching, but the more I think about it, the more I love it. People probably won't get it, but it's very good. I loved the documentary feel it had and the main character, Wikus, was fantastic.

Inglourious Basterds - SUPERB!!! Tarantino at his finest! One of the best movies of the year, and the best movie I've seen since No Country For Old Men. There isn't any words to describe how I felt about this movie. Too good.

The Marc Peave Experience - I'm really glad this movie made it to Phoenix. It wasn't great, but Schwartzman and Stiller were great together. I'd love to see the two of them do more movies together. I can see why lots of people won't like this, but it was very enjoyable and much better than both Humpday and The Goods.

Toddlers in the Front Seat

2009-08-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Now, I don't know, maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I don't think toddlers should ever be riding in the front seat of a vehicle. I know it happens often and I see it a lot, but today I saw a lady come through the drive through with a kid who couldn't have been older than 2 sitting in the front seat and it really upset me. He didn't even have a seat belt on, although with him being so little, I doubt the seat belt could help any. I don't understand how this happens. I know car seats can get pricey, but I also know I've seen plenty of stuff on the news where firefighters and people like that give away FREE car seats. Do people just not care? I find it extremely sad that people out there will let a child so small, sit in a seat were the slightest accident could cause him some serious harm. What is wrong with people? The van about 4 houses down from me has a bumper sticker on that back. It reads, "car seats are cheaper than caskets." That may be a bit morbid, but everyone should read that. Seriously.

"The Wickedest Town in the West"

2009-08-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

So I started doing some reading on the town of Jerome (which I haven't been to since I was little) and it's pretty interesting. I think it would be fun to do a documentary on it. I wish it was still like olden times and there was gambling, saloon fights and prostitution running wild. Pretty much Vegas minus the lights.

2009-08-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

It's coming. Be ready for it. You're probably thinking, "what's coming, Chris? How can I tell when it's here?" I can't tell you yet, but just be ready.

Futurama With A New Cast?

2009-07-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know if anyone has head the reports, but apparently Fox is considering doing the new episodes of Futurama with a new cast. Talks have reportedy broken down between the voice cast of Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Tress McNeille, and Katey Segal and the excutives at Fox. Fox believe the actors are asking for too much and are holding casting calls to replace them. Seriously?! If this happens, I for one will not being watching the new season of Futurama (and Futurama is probably my second favorite show of all time). The show won't be the same. These group of voice talent is the best of the business and deserve their share and Fox needs to give it to them. They'd be stupid not to (although this is Fox, so I wouldn't be surprised).

I highly doubt the actors will be replaced though. For one, their too close with series creators, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. And two, Fox has made similar threats in the past with the Simpsons and have always caved (although, Futurama clearly isn't as huge as the Simpsons).

Regardless of how this situation turns out, this is exactly why people hate Fox. They continually do stupid things. But what can you expect from a network that has cancelled Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, Kitchen Confidential, The Family Guy and of course Futurama?

Fox News

2009-07-21T20:25:00.001-07:00

I absolutely hate Fox News. It is seriously the worst programming on television. They're so one sided. Nothing but a bunch of fear mongers. I can't stand it. They spend all their time trying to scare the public. They don't talk about the good in anything. They claim to be fair and balanced, but they almost always only speak to republicans on their shows and constantly bash anyone that isn't a republican or conservative. They also promote rallies to protest against democrats. How is that fair and balanced? And they're always yelling. I mean ALWAYS!!! So annoying. I can't stand it! And now, that's what they make us watch at work! What the hell? CNN is so much better. Honestly, if you like Fox News, you're a douche. And Glen Beck is the worst. I wish somebody would punch him in the mouth. Seriously. There's honestly nothing more irritating.

Plus, the executives that run Fox are a bunch of idiots. These are the guys responsible for canceling Futurama, Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, Kitchen Confidential, The Family Guy and much more. Just morons, I swear. How do they have such high paying jobs?

The Suns Summer (So Far)

2009-07-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I thought I'd go ahead and comment on the moves the Phoenix Suns have made thus far this summer (in case you don't know, I'm a HUGE Suns fan).

Let's get started, shall we....

1. Giving Alvin Gentry a contract and making him the head coach! Best thing this team could do! He should've gotten the job last summer! He's basically D'Antoni with a bench, which is all this team was ever lacking in my opinion. I think the Suns will win 50 this year and Gentry will be coach of the year. This WILL happen. Trust. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to see a Gentry coached team play for a full season. They're going to set some new records for offensive.

2. The trading of Shaq. Obviously, this was coming. Shaq makes a ton of money, doesn't fit the Suns' style of play, is up there in age (the Suns want/need youth), and was coming off a great year (upping his trade value). So I was for this move. I love Shaq, but things weren't going to work out for him or the Suns here. It was best to part ways. I would have liked to get more in return, possibly JJ Hickson or a 1st draft pick, but I'm actually pleased with the money we freed up, provided we use it correctly next year. This move does live us with a whole at center, somewhat, but I feel Robin Lopez is going to surprise a lot of people next year and have a good year, althought I believe Channing Frye should and will start (more on him later).

3. Next, the NBA draft. The draft was definately interesting for Phoenix this year, as well as productive. Amongst all the Amar'e trade rumours, the Suns did manage to draft two solid players.

First, Earl Clark. I absolutely LOVE this pick. I think he's going to do wonders in this league and is an absolute steal at 14! The guy is super long and athletic. He can probably play up to 3 positions in the Suns system (SF, PF, and even some C). A 6'10" guy with handles is always a huge plus. Solid defender, good rebounder and knows how to score. He could be very Boris Diaw/Shawn Marion-esque for us. I'm excited to see him play!

Second round, we picked up Taylor Griffin. Honestly, I knew nothing about him, other than knowing he's the older brother of Blake Griffin, however, what I've heard about him and seen of him since the draft, I like. He's a hustle guy and you can never have enough of them, especially in a league were a lot of guys play half-hearted. He's a lot more athletic than he looks, and leaves it all on the floor. I hope he makes the opening day roster.

4.Resigning Grant Hill. I felt this was the next most important thing (right behind making Gentry the full-time coach). Hill was great for us last year. Played solid defense, great leader, and didn't miss a game. He can be a huge influence for the younger guys, while still be very effective on the court. Much respect to Hill for turning down bigger money from NYK to stay in the Valley.

5. Bringing Channing Frye home.
Here's another move I was seriously hoping for. In fact my tweet from 10:01 am on July 1st read: "Free agency is officially underway! Come on home, Channing Frye!!!!" So clearly, I was stoked by this signing. Naysayers like to point out Frye's numbers from last year, but those mean nothing. He didn't fit in Portland, but that's going to be a different case in Phoenix. The guy is the perfect fit next to Stat. He's going to get so many open jumpers. He'll definately have a breakout year I think. I'm expecting something like 12-14 points and 5-7 rebounds, which is a huge bargain when you consider his contract.

So this is basically what the team has done so far. Hopefully they can get Nash to sign an extension and hold onto Amar'e. I think if the Suns do those two things, they'll make some noise next year. A starting five of Steve Nash, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Amar'e Stoudamire, and Channing Frye is pretty much unguardable. And with the Leandro Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Lou Amundson, Goran Dragic, Robing Lopez, and Earl Clark off the bench, this team can be deap and balanced. I wish the season was here already.

2009-07-15T19:19:00.001-07:00

This is just a test to see if my mobile blogging is working...

So, my first blog

2009-07-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

So, here it is, my first blog entry. It wasn't my idea to sign up for this, so I'm not sure how much I'm going to like it, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Now, what do I blog about that? Hmmmm.....

Well, for today I've basically got nothing, except for one little thing I saw in the park earlier...

Alright, so you know those guys that you see on street corners with signs advertising like car sales or whatever? Well, today I saw like 15 of those guys in the park, standing in a circle. One guy was in the middle of the circle swinging his sign around like crazy. I'm not sure if they were going through training or having a competition or what, but it was pretty crazy to see.

Yeah, I'm not too good at this blogging.

I think I'm going to work on some more movie reviews, which you can check out by the way at www.trashwire.com