If the Wittertainment gods had not favorably reviewed Me and Orson Wells, I would never have considered watching it. I have an unreasonable urge to dislike Zac Effron (it is not as strong a completely reasonable dislike of Will Ferrel).
The recommendation from Dr. K and the price (free streaming on Netflix) made it an easy decision to give Me and Orson Wells a try.
It is a good character piece. Zac Efyoung plays the innocent, ambitious young actor to a tee. Christian McKay nails the narcissism of Orson Wells. Claire Daines is a perfect up and comer. The supporting cast adds a dash of comedy to the show.
It was a fun way to spend an evening.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Better Off Ted
Better Off Ted is a short lived, witty take on Dilbert. (I lo e the fact that Netflix let's me watch things like this!) It is so much more than Dilbert though.
The show is centered around Ted who looks like a generic successful white male executive at a large generically evil mega-corporation. He has two whacky scientists that work for him and a nice, honest tester who plays his sort of love interest. Ted also has an affectless maniacal boss. It takes this cliche cast and spins gold.
The dialog is fast paced and spot on. The plots are original but laced with enough convention that you don't miss the satire. The cast plays things perfectly. They oscillate between subdued and over the top deftly. It is like Arrested Development meets The Office. Except that it is way better than The Office. I think it makes The Office look like a cheap community production.
The show is centered around Ted who looks like a generic successful white male executive at a large generically evil mega-corporation. He has two whacky scientists that work for him and a nice, honest tester who plays his sort of love interest. Ted also has an affectless maniacal boss. It takes this cliche cast and spins gold.
The dialog is fast paced and spot on. The plots are original but laced with enough convention that you don't miss the satire. The cast plays things perfectly. They oscillate between subdued and over the top deftly. It is like Arrested Development meets The Office. Except that it is way better than The Office. I think it makes The Office look like a cheap community production.
Monsters
I've wanted to see Monsters I first saw the trailer. I almost paid $10 to rent it from iTunes before it was in theaters, but my inner cheapskate won out. Since my ability to get to the theater lately is nill, I was forced to wait for it to wait for it to be on pay per view. I got lucky though and it showed up on Netflix(in HD) at about the same time.
Monsters is billed as a smart, independent monster movie that was made for a pittance. The film maker did the special effects on a MacBook Pro and they look as good as anything being out out by the big studios. The movie delivers on its promises except for the one in the title.
There are monsters and they are big and scary, but they are not the focus of the movie. It is also possible that the title is a metaphor. The monsters are the backdrop for a quest story. The main action of the story is two people, one rich and one poor, trying to get home. The journey is perilous because they must cross a quarantine zone that is populated by the monsters of the title. There is also tension in the journey because home is fraught with complications for both characters.
The thing that makes the movie is the relationship between the central charters as they travel through the quarantine zone. The actors, who are a real life couple, bring the rawness and complexity of their charters to life. The male lead is a war photographer who has been sidelined by his employer. He is tasked by his employer to bring the employers daughter home. The daughter is in South America for unknown reasons and does not seem thrilled to be going home.
As the journey progresses, we learn why they are both so raw. We are also presented with subtle commentary on war and futility.
I highly recommend renting Monsters.
Monsters is billed as a smart, independent monster movie that was made for a pittance. The film maker did the special effects on a MacBook Pro and they look as good as anything being out out by the big studios. The movie delivers on its promises except for the one in the title.
There are monsters and they are big and scary, but they are not the focus of the movie. It is also possible that the title is a metaphor. The monsters are the backdrop for a quest story. The main action of the story is two people, one rich and one poor, trying to get home. The journey is perilous because they must cross a quarantine zone that is populated by the monsters of the title. There is also tension in the journey because home is fraught with complications for both characters.
The thing that makes the movie is the relationship between the central charters as they travel through the quarantine zone. The actors, who are a real life couple, bring the rawness and complexity of their charters to life. The male lead is a war photographer who has been sidelined by his employer. He is tasked by his employer to bring the employers daughter home. The daughter is in South America for unknown reasons and does not seem thrilled to be going home.
As the journey progresses, we learn why they are both so raw. We are also presented with subtle commentary on war and futility.
I highly recommend renting Monsters.
Romero's The Crazies
I was intrigued by the Crazies idea. I am a big zombie and government conspiracy fan. However, I decided that instead of watching the new remake, I'd watch the Romero original. The originals are always better than modern remakes. Right? Most remakes of class in horror movies usually take one of two tacks: add gore or soften it up for the PG-13. They also typically dumb the material down.
I think I made a good choice. The Romero version was light on gore, but high on tension. The acting was terrible, but the story was well paced. It was interesting to see where all of the zombie movie conventions originate. They are all here in their rawest form.
I enjoyed the Crazies too much to go back and see the new one for fear it would ruin the old one for me.
I think I made a good choice. The Romero version was light on gore, but high on tension. The acting was terrible, but the story was well paced. It was interesting to see where all of the zombie movie conventions originate. They are all here in their rawest form.
I enjoyed the Crazies too much to go back and see the new one for fear it would ruin the old one for me.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Overdrive for iOS
Overdrive finally came out with a solution for getting library books onto iOS devices. It took them long enough, but apparently not long enough.
At first the app was iPhone only (crazy for an e-book app) and it took a month for them to update it to a universal app. I didn't even bother with it until it was universal. The iPhone screen is great, but it is not my first choice for leisurely reading.
On the iPad it is a passable experience. The text is clear, pages turn using the standard tap on the side motion, and the interface is nice and sparse. Along the bottom you can see how far you are into the current chapter, but this display auto-hides and I found it tricky to bring back up consistently. There along the top there are buttons for getting to the TOC, adjusting text size, adjusting brightness, bookmarking, and getting to the main menu.
I found the text layout flat, but that could have been the e-book. I also found the lack of a dictionary troubling. I guess I've become spoiled by being able to look up words without leaving the book.
Getting books into the app is where it really falls down. To check books out of the library, you must leave the app and go to the library's web site. The app sort of helps you locate the right library, but the mechanics of it are poor. Basically you need to scroll through long lists. The Boston Public Library's site was OK on the iPad, but not great. Searching was terrible.
All in all the app is OK. It is not the one of the more polished e-book apps out there, but it will get library books onto your iPad.
At first the app was iPhone only (crazy for an e-book app) and it took a month for them to update it to a universal app. I didn't even bother with it until it was universal. The iPhone screen is great, but it is not my first choice for leisurely reading.
On the iPad it is a passable experience. The text is clear, pages turn using the standard tap on the side motion, and the interface is nice and sparse. Along the bottom you can see how far you are into the current chapter, but this display auto-hides and I found it tricky to bring back up consistently. There along the top there are buttons for getting to the TOC, adjusting text size, adjusting brightness, bookmarking, and getting to the main menu.
I found the text layout flat, but that could have been the e-book. I also found the lack of a dictionary troubling. I guess I've become spoiled by being able to look up words without leaving the book.
Getting books into the app is where it really falls down. To check books out of the library, you must leave the app and go to the library's web site. The app sort of helps you locate the right library, but the mechanics of it are poor. Basically you need to scroll through long lists. The Boston Public Library's site was OK on the iPad, but not great. Searching was terrible.
All in all the app is OK. It is not the one of the more polished e-book apps out there, but it will get library books onto your iPad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)