Top Ten Favorite Holiday Films...

So it’s that time of year again — the air is crisp and cool. With the well wishing about to commence to one another on the street, I wanted to muster up some of my favorite Holiday films. As a disclaimer, not all of my films are centered around the idea of Christmas. Some are, of course, but others are just films that happened to take place during that particular holiday. Before the list commences I have a number of honorable mentions: Home Alone, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Bad Santa and Batman Returns.

10. Edward Scissorhands
This gem from the early ‘90s was director Tim Burton’s first film that set him apart. But this story about an outsider being brought in and accepted by a loving family cemented his career and that of star Johnny Depp. The movie itself has vivid images of winter that still resonate with modern audiences. It may not be the best constructed film, or even the best written film. But when Halloween has long since passed and Christmas is quickly approaching, Edward Scissorhands may be playing on my TV.

9. Muppet Christmas Carol
All that the new iteration of A Christmas Carol by Robert Zemeckis makes me want to do is watch this fantastic film from my childhood. I haven’t seen it in a couple of years, but I will be watching it in the next couple of days, as soon as I can find it in my pile of movies.

8. A Christmas Story
I know it may be cliché, but this film really does embody the perfect Christmas/Holiday film. It’s about growing up, family, and the spirit of Christmas. Sure, it’s a little sappy, but there is a reason it plays on a loop every Christmas day.

7. Trading Places
This is when Eddie Murphy was still in his prime. It almost makes me sad when I watch this movie and I start to think of how great Eddie Murphy once was, before he was relegated to children films and his super low-brow comedy that he does now. When he and Dan Akroyd were on film together, it was comedic magic. (I know that sounded really lame, but it’s true.) And this film just happens to take place during Christmas. It really doesn’t send home any type of heart warming yuletide message... and I like that.
6. The Ref
In the early ‘90s before Se7en and Usual Suspects, this is how I was introduced to Kevin Spacey. He was perfect as an uptight husband in the rich suburbs. This was a starring vehicle for Dennis Leary who played a criminal on the run who takes a rich couple hostage. Hilarity ensues.

5. Scrooged
Bill Murray + Christmas Carol + ‘80s Debauchery = My favorite Charles Dickens adaptation on film.

4. A Nightmare Before Christmas
This movie isn’t just a great movie for the season. It’s great year round and really showed how stop motion filmmaking can make such a huge impact on an audience. It really is a great film. It’s just really depressing that Disney is milking it so much every year.

3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Oh, the Griswold clan, we went with them on two vacations before we saw how they spent the holidays. It was a disaster in many respects, but Rex is finally going to get his pool. Now that is what the holidays are all about... thinking about summer.

2. Gremlins
Gizmo is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I still want a mogwai. But when it comes to a Christmas monologue, Phoebe Cates’ morbid take on Christmas, and how it affected her family, is amazing. Sure did color me a vivid picture and made me greatly appreciate my uneventful Christmases with my family.

1.Die Hard
John McClain just wanted to go to L.A. to visit his estranged wife and kids but ends up being stuck in an office building with no shoes and fighting back and killing nameless eastern Europeans. If that doesn’t scream Christmas, then you are not American. Die Hard is a seminal piece of film history. It reinvigorated action films so people now get behind the underdog or average joe like John McClain. I love this movie, and I always watch it as close to Christmas as possible.

Also if you want a great Christmas special, rent the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Christmas. It’s one of the rudest and funniest comedies on TV. I love it!

11 years since his last feature film, James Cameron returns to provide shock and awe to movie goers this holiday season.

There has been a lot of hype and cynicism building up for this film. Some have called it a 'game changer", "revolutionary", and the "next step." Other see it as an over blown and over produced piece of work from a self obsessed ego maniac.

There are parts that are true for each side of the fences. But one thing is true, hyperbole is being thrown around by everyone.

I saw the footage at Comic Con, and it did not blow me away. It looked great and there was a lot of detail in every frame. But it did not cause me to change my pants like others in the room.

Which worked out great for me, my expectations were lowered and I went about my day waiting to see the full motion picture. I went to Avatar day in Aug. Which showed close to the same footage they showed at Comic Con, nothing too different.

So Cameron and Fox won me over and I was going to pay to see their movie, mostly due to the ballsy marketing campaign. So the months came and went, and buzz continued to build and build. But still, I maintain my optimism in check.

I saw Avatar last night at midnight on a proper IMAX 3D screen. The film, for lack of a better or more original word, is awesome. In the true definition of the word:

awe·some (ôsm)
adj.
1. Inspiring awe: an awesome thunderstorm.
2. Expressing awe: stood in awesome silence before the ancient ruins.

Every frame of the movie, from Jake Sulley waking up from his cryogenic slumber in the space ship, to the Na'vi bonding with the creatures of Pandora. Every frame of the film is filled with awe-inspiring images and creativity. The story is an original idea from Cameron, but the concepts have been done before where an outsider becomes part of a group and changes sides (i.e. Dances with Wolves or Last Samurai).

But no other movie before has shown so much technical proficiency and perfection than Cameron does in Avatar. Cameron's cognizance of the camera and the technology he helped create is phenomenal. After the first five minutes of the film, you forget it’s in 3D and you are completely immersed in Pandora and the humans who are disturbing the peace.

For as many stunning visuals that the film has, the story is where it struggles the most. The outline of the film is fine, it makes sense and provides an enthralling enough narrative. It is structured in a very traditional and Hollywood way. It even has the whole white people fantasy, where ‘savages’ can’t help themselves and have to have a white person save them. But that’s another post by another more eloquent writer, Annalee Newitz (http://io9.com/5422666/). Yet these problems do not hinder the film. Avatar is straight forward in it’s story layout, there is an establishing first act (filled with quite a bit of exposition), a second act ending that is tragic and beautiful at the same time, and the third ties everything up and have one of the best action sequences I have ever seen. But the dialogue, oh goodness, the dialogue. Other than Stephan Lang’s perfect Colonel Miles Quaritich, everyone’s dialogue seemed clichéd, which stands out so much more in such an original piece of film.

The rest of the cast doesn’t have much to work with in regards to dialogue but they all make it work. Sam Worthington erases the memory of his Terminator Salvation performance within the first act of the film. He is engaging and you go with him on his journey gleefully. His leading lady, Zoe Saaldana, embodiment of Neytiri, is astounding, other than Andy Serkis, no other actor or actress has been able to emote as perfectly through FX as Zoe. Her performance is Oscar worthy, but the dilemma there is, would you nominate the actress or the FX team? Think about that and get back to me.

The rest of the supporting cast is great, Sigourney Weaver is as wonderful as ever, also it’s fun to see Undeclared’s Joel Moore getting work, and Michelle Rodriguez, who I have never found attractive, was incredibly sexy in the movie.

This review may be repetitive and almost cookie cutter compared with others floating around, but this movie delivers. It isn’t just a film for film snobs to like and judge you for not watching, it’s a MOVIE. It is fun, engaging, and most importantly entertaining throughout it’s 2 ½ plus running time. Which I did not feel at all.

But the film’s visual’s and set pieces are the main event. They are outstanding/astonishing and any other hyperbole you want to through out. You must see this film in 3D and not wait for DVD. You will be doing yourself a huge disservice if you wait.


Now comparing to other Cameron films, is it my favorite? No, I still love Aliens above all. But if I were 10 – 16 years old, this movie would of changed my life. But I have a strong nostalgic connection to Aliens and T2. Not so much Abyss, since I just saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago thanks to Tim Metz. It’s sad that the first movie with a fully realized CGI creature was such a bomb, it was a great movie that was underappreciated. But I digress, Avatar proves that James Cameron’s ego is much deserved, because he delivers. He is not a Michael Bay who wants to blow stuff up and make it look cool, so much that it hinders the story. James Cameron cares about “his” vision more so than what other people want. Yet with James Cameron, his vision is what people love and will eat up and await his next film. I’m willing to wait another 11 years if Cameron can deliver films like this every time.

How Alan got his groove back...

I know it’s been awhile since you’ve had my in your weekly newsletter. But surprisingly summer tends to be much much busier for me than any other time of the year. But the season is winding down and the sheer number of unread books in my collection is staggering, I still bought them anyway with every intention of reading them. Silly me, over the near 3 months without reading the majority of my books I have accumulated 2 full long boxes and 3 short boxes of unread comics. But I always managed to read every Captain America andGreen Lantern affiliated book without question. But I have begun to read as many comics as possible in the past week. Every chance I get, I have a comic book in my hand. The recent activity is because of necessity, but because one book reminded me how much I LOVE the art of comic storytelling. One book has made me remember how much fun comics can be. It is neither of the major two that I mentioned, or Proof, my favorite indie book on the market. But it is DC’s experiment that stole my heart, Wednesday Comics is my favorite book to come out all year.

Please don't pick and choose, remember an entire life.

Michael Jackson.

Yesterday and today are troubling me a bit. With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, generations of people are showing their love and warm memories of the man.

Which is a very genuine and sincere thing to feel. But what is a tad disturbing to me is when some people (No one in specific) say, "Let's remember him for his music!" or in the like.

To me, this is very ignorant and naive. How can we justifiably choose to only remember what we want? Are we that removed from reality now? I am not accusing Michael Jackson of his prior misgivings. I am not sure what happened during his sleep overs. Could of been completely innocent or very vile, I am not here to judge him.

I only ask that people stop choosing to only remember him as a musician. He was a man, and remember the life and all that happened in it. Because we can learn just as much from his mistakes and faults as we can from his cool beats and vocal stylings. This reminds me of a situation with professional Wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and autistic child a while back. The media lambasted him but the wrestling community only wanted to remember his work in ring.

But hopefully this trend doesn't continue.

What will happen when OJ dies? "OMG he was such a great running back!!! Lets remember him as an athlete and comedy spoof actor."

Or Phil Specter? "Yeah he may of shot a girl in cold blood, but dude he produced a BEATLES album."

Or Chris Brown? "Dude he danced really good!!! Who cares if Rhiana can't take a hit."

Or to the most extreme level, "Hitler was a moderately passable painter, so lets remember that."

Now I am not a stranger to death, I lost my mother close to a decade ago and I lost someone very close to me recently. Both women were very strong and filled with kindness in their hearts and I choose to remember their lives as a whole and not picking and choosing. In the long run you would just rob yourself of more learning experiences.

In closing, it is sad that the King of Pop has passed away at such a young. His entire life basically shown to the public through a lens. Do I wish he cleared up his name? Yes. Do I wish his looming comeback was successful and he made another great album? A resounding yes.

But we don't get that and now we have a tarnished legacy which should be remembered in its entirety.

Sam Rockwell MOON's me.

This was originally supposed to only be a small review on Facebook's Flixter, but I just kept writing and writing.

I had to drive out quite a bit to catch Moon last night. I have to say it was well worth the gas and time. Relative new director Duncan Jones, brings a very stoic and quite Science FIction film to life. I don't want to give much away, I actually only heard it was good from some trusted sources and decided to jump in without viewing a trailer. It was worth the gamble, the film was probably one of the best Sci-Fi films I have seen in the past couple of years. Well this Sunshine and Star Trek. But it was the opposite of what Star Trek is. It wasn't big and sprawling, there were no big action set pieces or alien encounters. It dealt with an amazing Sam Rockwell, doing the best acting job of his career, and his loyal computer Gerty. Sam Rockwell plays astronaut Sam Bell, who works for the Lunar incorporation collecting H3 energy and sending it back to earth. He is signed a 3 year contract to be alone and collect data on the Moon. But towards the end of his tenure, things start to go a little crazy. Now the audience may have to take a bit of a leap within the first act of the film. But I chose to follow, and it was worth it. I'd say check it out, it's only in like 3 theaters in LA. I saw it at the Edwards University 8 in Irvine. I wish I had a better seat, but I tend to love the whole run down theater that shows art house films. It's almost like method movie watching. One more thing, there practical effects used in the film brought me back to a nostalgic time in my life. I used to love seeing models in movies, and i'm glad the feeling still resonates with me. There were a great deal of exterior model shots during the film, so I was glad to see they didn't have to resort to CGI. (Well they probably didn't have the money for it anyway.) All in all, Moon was great. I want to see it again, now knowing what I have in store for me I think I can truly get more out of it.

Updated stories...

So I have been really bad about updating my ish...

So here is a link to my new stories at the school paper.  I made a pact with myself that i will write something once a week for the blog.  

I don't know about what, movies, tv, music, or other forms of entertainment.  

Anyway, here are the links:

www.chaffeybreeze.com/media/storage/paper257/news/2009/05/04/ArtsEntertainment/LesserKnown.Movies.Can.Be.A.Treat-3734622.shtml?reffeature=popuarstoriestab

www.chaffeybreeze.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=81a7ff00-3c15-4c2e-a7f6-d3397aaac6ad

http://www.chaffeybreeze.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=66ca6e63-02d2-4f5b-a894-a4b284c99a3b

http://www.chaffeybreeze.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=75db4f3a-8b8a-47c6-a5ce-b665d94bea02

http://www.chaffeybreeze.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=4a03267b-6b43-404c-a5f5-f1b0bd41c01e

http://www.chaffeybreeze.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=8c8133ce-c6a2-45c5-97e5-0dd4ced86b89

An Old Rant towards Bad Stand Up Comedians

Let me tell you a tale of a random cd purchase I made a number of years ago. I was out at a Best Buy looking for Mitch Hedberg comedy central produced stand up cd. I found it and I also saw that Dane Cook has a cd released as well. And I, being the the person who spends money without consequence, said "What the hell? Ill buy it" So after listening to hedberg cds I popped in Dane Cooks cd a number of days later. At the time, I enjoyed it. I thoguht it was amusing for what it was. A mainstream routine aimed to a general audience without offending anyone. Fine , whatever, I really liked the Kool Aid, just wanna dance, and the car accident thing. It was amusing but the best thing I have heard comedy wise. But I didnt feel too bad about my purchase. So I went along my way, randomly a couple of months later I was driving in Brea and saw that he was performing at the improv and decided to go to a show. When I went he performed the exact same stand up routine on his FUCKIN cd! It's not like he is in a band. I have heard his old stuff I kind of expected him to have new material, I mean it has been close to year since he recorded his cd I would expect him to try and devolp at least 20 min of new shit. But oh well, it was a fun expierence just because i saw Gary Gulman. Who I think is leaps and bounds funnier than anyone he toured with on Tourgasm. But whatever, the thing that fucking bugged me today is that while I was out on the town for a bit I got into a bit of a debate with someone I just met that day. He was laughing uncontrollably to his ipod. Out of curiousity I was wondering what comedy cd he was listening too, or it could of been Hulk Hogan and the wrestling boot bands album, I dont know. He said "Oh dude im listening to Dane Cook, hes a fucking genius" , my reply "Oh, is this the first time you heard him? What other comedians do you like?". "Nah man this is like the hundredth time ive heard him, its just so fucking awesome. I dont really like stand up much, he just seems like he gets what I get. But I also like Mencia and Chapelle" So right there he lost me, but I decided to kind of let it go, because even I like Chapelle. But the fucker only liked him because of that god damn Rick James skit. Which is really funny, but Chapelle has done funnier shit. His half hour perfomance on HBO like 10 years ago as a part of a series that included Patton Oswald, Kathleen Madigan, and Harold Williams, had really funny stuff. But whatever, thats off topic. I asked what he thought of other comedians like David Cross and Carlin his response, I am not making this up ,"Fuck them,if they were good comedians then I wouldn't have to be thinking so much when there doing thier shit." My response "Why are you watching while they take a shit? Thats pretty gross. I have never seen that on any of their specials." "Look man they are just funny and Dane Cook has sold like a million albums so hes got to be good." Then I said " Yeah but so has Michael Jackson and he touched kids, but you know what the difference is between Cook and MJ for me?" He goes , "What?" I say" I have never felt violated when I heard Michaels songs, but when i see Dane Cook forcing a joke, it feels like he trying to taste my goof juice." He goes " Goof juice? What the fuck is that?" I stared and walked away. While kind of loudly yelled "What the fuck?" . I forgot to mention this story happened at a Gym, so I should of expected a meathead. But I was in LA so I assumed people would be Pretenious but not fucking stupid. I could of handled it better but whatever, I usually dont really care what people do on thier free time but I dont tonight bothered. Today showed me the world isn't fair. That no talent thiefs can be successful with proof that they are thiefs. Yet no one cares? While other comedians who are really funny and innovative are left starving and struggling. Also that in todays society where people my age or my generation are to fucking lazy to think for themselves or even know the history behind shit. I mean i dont hate Dane Cook, I just hate his blind supporters who dont know a thing about comedy. That would be like saying I hate Christianity , when I dont I just hate the people who have blind faith and dont listen to reason. Honestly did you know that some "faithies" (Thats what I call them) believe that Dinosuars are here as a way for God to tempt are faith? Its odd, I liek to think that God created dinos said "Hmmmm maybe this wasnt a good idea." Then did the etch a sketch ending and started to create Monkeys , decided he Liked monkeys but not enough to have them roam free and used his expierence in his old clay sculpting class to mold them into his image. Is that believable? Not really but so arn't alot of things people believe. But if they dont push their ish on me then Ill love them like a brother, no thats too close maybe a close cousin.


And in case anyone is interested I have a list of my 10 favorite comedians: (I know no one cares, they probably stopped reading at the headline. And I said top 10 becuase I needed to give myself a boundary.As far as im concerned its 12:45 and Im my audience)


In A,B,C order: (Yeah im not saying Alphabetical, Im going grammar school on everyone)

Lewis Black

He yells alot, but damn it, his angry rants and tone makes his humor have a sense of urgency that I dont hear often enough. Plus none of his rants feel forced, like he has deep conviction for what he is tellign his audience.

George Carlin

Honestly if I have to explain who Carlin or even Richard Pryor (whose further down the list) is. then just disregard everything in this blog.

David Cross

An amazing Sketch and tv writer with Mr. Show and Ben Stiller Show, he went on to become a familiar face in film and tv. Yet he is extremly funny in everythign he does. He isnt a comedian who is prone to one-liners very often but long stories that are detialed and very funny.

Jim Gaffigan

Gaffigan is what a mainstream should be, his routine is well runded enough for 20 somethigns and housewives to laugh at. He does alot of food jokes so its not a big wonder why I find him so funny.

Mitch Hedberg

He passed away a bit ago, from an aparent overdose. But his style is similar to Steven Wright with really off the wall one liners and classic quotes. He could very well go down as one of the greatest comedians oh his generation if he isnt already. But Demitri Martin seems very similarin his one liners and subject matter.

Bill Hicks

In 1994, Hicks was taken away from the world much to soon. he had a rocky start in his career but he is one of the greatest comics ever. For a casual fan it takes a bit for his style to grow on you. But his routine is intellegent and you could see how he influenced such a slew of comedians since. If you like David Cross or even Lewis C.K. listen to Bill Hicks.

Eddie Izzard
His dressed to kill hbo special was the first tv special i knew word for word. I was in Jr. High and he left quite an impression on me since Actually I dont really know any other routines word for word. He brings alot of world histroy into his act, he talks very little of his personal life. Well other than his whole transvestite thing he has going on. I have yet to see him live and cannot wait for the day. It will be similar to me watching HBK live. He's take high on my pedastal

Bill Maher
Other than his whole stance agaisnt fat people. He is a very smart man, who is very funny and trend setter. In my mind The Daily Show wouldnt of been without Politically Incorrect starting out.

Patton Oswald
Hes a comic book nerd, hes smart, hes chubby. How can I not have a huge man crush on him. He has a new cd out, which is very funny and probably my favorite cd purchase so far this year.

Richard Pryor
The same answer as George Carlin.



Anyway to finish off my rant I decided to go to wikipedia and extend a little bit of knowledge on how Cook and Mencia have stolen other jokes from comedians.


Controversy and criticism


Material
After the release of his CD/DVD Retaliation, similarities were noticed between Cook's work and material recorded on Louis C.K.'s 2001 album Live in Houston.[7] The bits in question are Louis C.K.'s "Itchy Asshole," "Guy On A Bike," and "Naming Kids." In 2005, Dane Cook performed and released three similar routines on Retaliation.[8] These are "Itchy Asshole," "Struck By A Vehicle," and "My Son Optimus Prime," respectively.
In an interview on the Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show in February 2007, C.K. stated that while the jokes are similar, the issue was "overblown" and may stem from a backlash against Cook's popularity. However, C.K. accused Cook of being "bullyish" and litigious towards comedians for having similar material to his despite claiming elsewhere that comedians stealing material from each other happens all the time and that it isn't a big deal. C.K. also stated "Too bad the guy [Cook] can't write enough." C.K. ended the interview by jokingly saying, at the constant prodding by the DJs, "Fuck Dane Cook, he's a cunt."
Comedian Joe Rogan has spoken on many occasions (including the December 1, 2006 broadcast of the Opie and Anthony Show) about Cook performing a bit on an episode of Premium Blend that Rogan had developed on I'm Gonna Be Dead Someday (sketch titled 'Tigers Fucking'), and claims to have performed the routine earlier in clubs with Cook present.
Rob Sheffield criticized Dane Cook's material in a Rolling Stone article from October 2006, claiming a joke he performed was originally done by Emo Philips.
Louis Ramey, a comedian whose rise was that of a Comedy Central Special in 2001, has a joke similar to that of a Dane Cook joke, two years earlier. It is that of the practical joke on fast food, when something is ordered that is not on the menu. [citation needed]
Comedian Ron White has criticized Dane Cook for his lack of real material and for his inflated ego. At a 2007 Irving Plaza show, comedian Zach Galifianakis commented, "I saw Employee of the Month the other day...it wasn't as good as I thought it was gonna be." During his closing number he revealed a sign that read "Kill Dane Cook" before leaving the stage.
Comedian Andy Kindler has been particularly critical of Cook in his stage act, saying "Thank you MySpace for inventing Dane Cook" and that "Dane Cook is a pyramid scheme. 'Tell ten friends who know nothing about comedy about him.'"He criticized his lack of material by asking a crowd "Do you think people drive home from a Dane Cook concert and go 'Ha Ha Oh my god we've been had! There's not a goddamn joke within a hundred miles of his act!'" In comparing the Dane Cook phenomenon to the spread of Nazism in Germany, Kindler asserted that "Dane Cook is worse than Hitler, because at least Hitler had a point of view!"
Dane Cook has most recently been associated with stealing material from comedian Demetri Martin. Martin performed the "size too small shoe joke" on his 2005 CD. Cook performed a practically identical joke on Saturday Night Live afterwards.[citation needed]

Yuk-Yuks controversy
On July 24, 2006 Cook asked for a guest spot at the Vancouver Yuk-Yuks comedy club. Initially he was set to go up at the end of the night, but upon arriving at the club he requested to go up before the headliner. Cook's performance went on for longer than the management had asked him, so the club's manager and headliner (Peter Kelamis) cut off his microphone and tried to "play him off" with music. Cook thought it was simply a mistake and continued his set, but they later cut his mic and blared the exit music again. Cook then dropped the mic and walked off-stage, furious. The show then ended, leaving Cook's fans confused and disappointed. Kelamis then refused to take the stage, and later referred to Cook's actions as "the most arrogant thing that [Kelamis had] ever seen in [his] life".
However, Mark Breslin, the founder of the comedy club chain, quickly apologized and blamed the club's manager. Breslin stated in support of Cook, "I'm on Dane's side totally, 100 percent." Breslin also explained that Kelamis was the last show that evening and there was no reason he could not have gone on late, stating "the tradition is that stardom trumps everything".
[edit]Tourgasm
The criticisms of "Tourgasm" are perhaps the most scathing, here is only a brief selection of reviews:
"...a half-hour vanity project that proves HBO can not only be TV, but bad TV at that" -Brian Lowry
"To understand just how unbearable "Tourgasm" remains from start to finish, imagine a cross between Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian" (except the jokes aren't all that funny and the comedians involved aren't that interesting or clever) and MTV's "Jackass" (except the teasing and physical pranks aren't that fun or dramatic and they end in angry recriminations, sulking and serious injuries). In short, "Tourgasm" may be the least worthwhile series ever to air on HBO..."
"...it's just some guy's tedious travelogue."
In the Comedy Central show Freak Show, a character is watching a Dane Cook performance, but instead of Tourgasm, the show is called Boregasm. The show poked fun at Cook's performance style. The creator of the show, comedian David Cross, has openly criticized Dane Cook previous to this.








Carlos Mencia-

Accusations of plagiarism

Comedian Joe Rogan wrote a post on his website publicly accusing Mencia of being a plagiarist, alleging that Mencia stole jokes from a number of comedians.
Mencia responded to the accusations while being interviewed on the Tucson, Arizona The Frank Show, stating that Joe Rogan had fabricated the plagiarism charge out of jealousy. On his own website, Mencia argued that the material in question was too generic to be attributed to any single comedian.
On February 10, 2007 Rogan confronted Mencia on stage at the Comedy Store on Sunset and continued his allegations of plagiarism. A video of the altercation was posted on his website. In the video, Joe Rogan's arguments were backed by different audio and video clips from other comedians including George Lopez. The Comedy Store later canceled Joe Rogan's upcoming shows at that particular venue.
George Lopez has accused Mencia of plagiarizing his material. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lopez accused Mencia of plagiarizing 13 minutes of his material in Mencia's HBO special. He also claimed he had a physical altercation with Mencia over the alleged plagiarism.
The only joke that George Lopez has publicly specified was stolen and used on Mencia's HBO special was a Taco Bell joke. Comedian Ted Sarnowski countered this claim, stating that the Taco Bell joke he performed on radio in 1988 was later taken and used without permission by Lopez, the radio station's resident comic. Sarnowski claims to have given Mencia permission to use the joke, yet Lopez later began referring to Mencia as a "thief" over the joke Lopez allegedly plagiarized.
In addition, the infamous "stereotype olympics" that appeared on Mind of Mencia was found to be originally conceived by a group of radio DJs from Miami and was scheduled to appear on air almost a year before Mencia used it on his show.



Usually I dont care what people do on thier free time. Sorry if someone got mad. But honestly if you got mad and kept reading your not really that mad. Just looking for a reason to get mad at me. Anyways have a good day and yeah comment if you like.

DARK KNIGHT REVIEW FROM 7/02/08

The anticipation is palpable for the sequel to Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. The Dark Knight has fanboys and even the average American public, who are curious after Heath Ledgers death, salivating to view the film. I was incredibly fortunate enough to catch an advance screening of it this past Friday at the WGA theatre for the SAG nominating committee.

After the film there was a Q and A with Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart. The Q and A was lively and entertaining, Nolan and Oldman got the brunt of the questions, especially Oldman who is a chameleon of an actor, so it would be obvious that other actors would want to pick his brain. Even when one person asked a question to Aaron on how it was playing Two-Face Aaron said something along the lines of, "It was fun I just wished the finished the rest of the face makeup, but when Nolan says he wants to go we go." Then laughter spreads across the room and Aaron then deflected every other acting question to Gary. When Maggie finally got a question on how it was playing such a strong character, she jumped at it and said she always wanted to play a strong female in a big time studio movie yet was never a fan of the comic book or the lore... until she was held by Bale in the suit and was wrapped around in Batman cape. At that point she "got" it. Nolan was also asked a question on the bat cycle and how it came to fruition, "Well we built it in my garage and then showed it to (the prop guy) and he said, "There is no way that I can make this look real." Then I said, "Well if you can make the tumbler work with no front axel you can make a bike work." Then 2-3 weeks later he showed up with a working model." The later questions dealt with Heath Ledger and how it was to work with him and everyone had nice things to say and how kind and great he was. Nolan said, "I had always wanted to work with him but Heath didn't want to take a BIG BIG movie until he proved to everyone that he was a diverse enough actor. He wanted his work to be more important then his fame." There were other questions strewn about in the Q and A but they are all spoiler questions that would ruin the movie for everyone. So I'll leave those out. But to the actual movie review!!!

In a word the film is fantastic. But I will try and review the film without any major spoilers... I may have a couple of plot threads that I touch upon that may or may not spoil something. But all major spoilers will be excised from the review.

From the opening sequence, which is actually a catalyst for the rest of the film. The movie has you engulfed in every situation. It never lets you go, the pacing from the beginning bank robbery to the final confrontation is brisk and wonderful. Nolan and company steer away from using any type of blatant exposition, much like in Indy, for any new character. You have to piece it together on your own.

Christian Bale is still great as Batman/Bruce Wayne. He still is the same Bruce Wayne, the spoiled playboy, yet at the turn of a switch he can be the real Bruce Wayne, which is Batman. His entire performance is much the same as it was in Batman Begins, but it is not a complaint or a determent just more of the same.

But what really steals the show is the supporting cast. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Caine are both great as the people who know the real Bruce Wayne. Maggie has a charm and wit to her that fits better in this film then Katie Holmes did. Then there is the magical Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. He is still the ultimate good cop, the public face of Batman but he plays a much bigger role in this film and is integral to plot just as much as Batman is. Also in Gary Oldman's words, he" is trying to make a mustache and glasses look sexy!"

But there were the two stars that steal the show, first is the most obvious Heath Ledger. Who I always liked, I loved his performance in Brokeback and even The Patriot. He is undoubtedly one of the main reasons everyone is excited for the movie. His take on the joker is something that I have never thought I would see in film. He is crazy but he has a reason for his craziness, it's really just his morality that's warped. The best comparison I can make for the character is basically Tyler Durden from Fight Club gone even further off the deep end. He is as charismatic and stubborn in his ideals but doesn't mind killing people. As for Heath Ledger as an actor in this film, he is the highlight reel, the man who is basically selling the movie for Warner Brothers. He has two scenes that are still stuck in my head even days later, one when he performs his "Magic Trick" and during a hospital sequence in the last third of the film when he is walking away his look and walk is incredibly memorable and really funny.

But I can feel that Ledger will get much of the accolades throughout the summer and hopefully a best supporting nod. But he has no real character arc he is the same person he was in the beginning of the film as he is at the end of the film. The acting showcase was really from Aaron Eckhart; he is the heart of the film. From where he starts the film to when it ends he really does every spectrum of emotion, and it is all believable, he is incredibly charming and makes you believe everything that spews from his mouth. His journey is heartbreaking and entertaining. It's Dents movie, the mass public can't really identify with Bruce but with Dent, he is the closest thing that people can relate too in this film.

There was a number of action set pieces in the film that can make your jaw drop and are all believable and necessary to the plot... that doesn't happen often. There was one thing in particular that is quite impressive, in the trailer when the Semi Truck does the flip, the intricacies to how it was done is awesome and when the truck is flipping it's awe inspiring, it was perhaps the closest I would come to experiences the AT AT getting trip wired in the Empire Strikes Back.

The Dark Knight is a film that transcends the superhero genre. It is an adult superhero film; it is what the Bourne Supremacy is to action movies as this is to superhero films, but thankfully not as shaky. To tell you the truth it is more a cop/gangster film then a superhero film reminiscent of Heat with all the intricate plot details and how some of the sequences are staged, especially the bank sequence. Then there is the sequence in Hong Kong that is really interesting and there was a Sky Hook sequence that was very impressive. Nolan filmed the sequence like he was channeling John Woo, which makes sense since it was in Hong Kong.

But the overall theme of the film is morality, and how one's morals can be shaken and how one deals with the effects. Whether one still stays true to what they believe or fold and give in to the easiest route possible. There is always a deeper meaning in Nolan's film and this is by far no exception.

While this summer we had the fantastic Iron Man and the fun Incredible Hulk. Warner Brothers and DC produced a film that will be looked upon as a real contender for accolades for years to come. I'm just getting a head start; I have never had a more enjoyable or memorable experience in a film since Saving Private Ryan in 1998. This is a classic for the ages.

10/10

Welcome

As the inaugural post, I just wanted to welcome everyone to my blog. 

I will try and update regularly with what interests me. 

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In the coming days I will post the beginning of my top 25 movies of 2008.  Then later today my recap of the comic world in 2008 as well. 

Salutations!