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Trailers…

HDNet (Mark Cuban’s network) is a hidden channel on most satellite providers that you should definitely start watching. Whether it be various MMA, exclusive movie showings before wide theatrical release, hilarious syndicated programming (Arrested Development), and a vast array of live concerts. It is also home to one of my favorite weekly shows, The Ultimate Trailer Show (Wednesday @ 8:00pm), hosted by film critic Robert Wilonsky. This week’s episode was fantastic. It was an eclectic mix of new trailers I had not seen before but seemed really interesting. So this edition is basically homage to that episode. Enjoy!

• Red

• Twelve

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

• Valhalla Rising

• A Film Unfinished

• Rango

• Animal Kingdom

Youth In Revolt

Certain comedies are the in your face style. Others use the sight gag method. Some use fantastic dialogue. And there are those which are off the beaten path. They have a certain quality to them that makes you feel connected to them, in a strange way. One of the most recent flicks I saw falls in the latter category. Youth In Revolt had a great trailer which made you hope for great cinema, it is does not disappoint. 

Michael Cera gives a fantastic performance as Nick Twisp, the quiet snarky virgin who falls for another inhabitant of his “vacation cabin resort” which is a nice way of saying trailer park. His tone and idiosyncrasies only aid in his perfect portrayal of this teenager. I would have loved this movie just on the French School scene alone! And I have yet to mention the unreal thin mustache that Cera grows for his alter bad boy ego. Now, Francois Dillinger is no Tyler Durden, but it definitely fit the role. 

While being the de facto ring master of this genius work, Cera is surrounded by an all star cast of actors who blend in seamlessly with the director’s vision. Overall, the casting was brilliant mostly due to their outstanding play off Cera’s character. Jean Smart, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Justin Long, and Zach Galifianakis round out the who’s who of talent. Each of them leave lasting impressions with their humor. Lest we forget the hidden gem who is found in this cornucopia of greatness - Portia Doubleday. Her first starring role and she absolutely killed it!

The tone is set from the get go. Dry and subtle humor. Sarcasm’s haven. And to its credit, the movie never falters from this line of thinking. Nor should it. It may be the biggest reason I can give for recommending this film to others. Usually, when this method is implored, the creator doesn’t have the wherewithal to keep a steady diet of it throughout the entirety of the film. But in this case, it is because the tone was maintained that it seemed to pay off so well. As I was viewing the scenes on the screen, I couldn’t help but think of Family Guy, only with real people. 

Director Miguel Arteta, whose previous work had been in comedy TV, earned his worth with this rookie attempt at feature films. He kept the story concise and packaged it neatly in a tidy 90 minutes. (Avoiding a common mistake in today’s movies!) The addition of the narration was also a welcomed aspect. It garnered thoughts of HBO’s Bored To Death. The main players are somewhat similar as well, in their habits and thoughts. And both have quite humorous goings on with Alan Garner. So I ask to you let yourself loose and watch this awesome piece of work.

The Court Jester

Imagine you were dating a girl for a while, let’s say 7 years. Things have been going really well for you guys as a couple, while at the same time you are personally thriving at your career. She may not have been the hottest partner between your friends, but she was pretty damn close. To her credit, whenever she seemed to be diminishing in a certain aspect of her appearance, she would do her upmost to rectify the issue, and for the most part accomplished just that. She just loved you so much, she was willing to do anything for you. This sounds like a perfect life, doesn’t it?

Oh, I forgot to mention one stipulation: it was known that at this point of your courtship, you would have the opportunity to go on a dating show. Your girlfriend would be one of the contestants vying for your affection as well and all indications pointed to you probably picking her at the end. Regardless, you step on the set. Once you see the red recording light turn on, you realize this moment is finally here. Choices…

As a result of the above metaphor, your personality which has been playful yet somewhat tame for your entire life changes instantly. You feel as though you are the most important person on the planet, and as such, you will dictate to your so-called “constituants” your decision on your own terms. Essentially, you take us all hostage all the while with a grin on your face. So we finally reconvene at the time you have personally chosen to unveil this stupendous announcement. The contestants are all back stage, nervous and sweaty, hoping to be chosen as yours. This almost seems surreal. All eyes on glued on you from all corners of the globe. The moment finally arises and as your girlfriend is covering her face due to fear, you simply utter the name of the biggest whore of the bunch.

The crowd is mixed with so many reactions. Cheers, Jeers, Curses, Silence, Shock. Your ex is inconsolable, becomes enraged and storms off the set back your place with really bad intentions. She is Charlize Theron in Monster crazy right now. While you are discussing your choice with the show’s host, people all over who are watching simply feel nauseous and disgusted with what has just transpired. 

There were so many girls to choose from and you end up picking the Lindsay Lohan? Really? What happened to the guy we knew? The one who was poised to be a global icon. Weren’t you billed as the chosen one? Don Draper does not settle for the easiest broad available. That is what losers do. They want the sure thing. The easy lay. After all that build up, basically destroying his ex to the point of no return, giving hope to the other 4-5 girls he had a chance at, this fucking guy chooses the slut! WTF?!! This is complete bullshit! 

This is exactly how last night’s embarrassment unfolded with Lebron James and the hideous show ESPN aired, The Decision. It was a train wreck. All throughout, James had a deer in the headlights look. He was scared. He knew what his decision meant. He knew the backlash that would cause in Cleveland, especially in the classless method he did it. Fans in each of the 5 spurned cities were all discouraged when their team was called, and that quickly turned to venom. In one fell swoop, LBJ made himself the most loathed player in the L. Every answer was cliched and calculated. He never revealed too much. The follow up questions were softballs and we still have yet to hear a logical reason as to what made each team’s pitch pale in comparison to ridding Wade’s coattails. 

Since July 1, and probably before then, we all knew D Wade would be back with the Heat. His disengenious visits with Chicago simply bolstered that fact. He was a spy doing the wish of his mentor, that snake in the grass bastard Pat Riley. The whole free agency process was joke. Both him and Chris “I somehow got labeled a superstar when I couldn’t carry my team to 40 wins” Bosh knew that they would pair up in South Beach from jump street. They had film crews following them so they accepted meetings with prospective teams even when they really had no interest of actually listening to the pitches, just to hype up the documentary they are hoping to release. Is this the crossroads we are currently at? Manipulating people, franchises, fans and media in an effort to fabricate drama? This is sports not Hollywood. Although you’d have a tough time distinguishing between the two. 

As Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said earlier this week, “Bosh has been following Wade around for two weeks like his lapdog.” (Who doesn’t love NBA Ron Jeremy?) This is not fantasy basketball with your high school friends. This is the NBA damn it! Each city had its own merits towards recruiting LBJ. Chicago was the most logical choice, ready to win right now and for years to come. Carry on the Jordan legacy for a guy who supposedly idolized him. New York is the basketball Mecca. They had been waiting for this day for two years. Somehow shedding cap room the way 50 Cent shed weight for his upcoming role. Unbelievably, they got to their goal, but too, were spurned by James. The Nets and Clippers both had great young rosters that could have benefited from LBJ’s presence, but were not really in the mix. And then there’s Cleveland. I didn’t think he was coming back, because they seemed to have maxed out as a team with their current roster. They can’t sign any free agents and were not poised to make any significant moves to better themselves. But the way in which Lebron went about this was simply atrocious. But Cavs fans had enough energy to get off the floor, without removing the knife from their backs, and light his jersey on fire. James’ face said it all when he saw the footage live on air. Hell hath no fury like a cursed sports city scorned. 

There is a sector of people who applaud James for choosing Miami, teaming up with his two buddies, and taking less money to try and win. But they are wrong. This is not the type of winning that is hoped for. You shouldn’t hijack a title this way. Some may say the Celtics did this very thing 3 years ago. But that was a different scenario for several reasons. Both Jesus Shuttlesworth and The Kid were traded to Boston. They along with Pierce were veterans who all tried to succeed on their own but always came up short. Those are not the same circumstances as The Thrice in Miami. Wade already has a ring. He will always be one up on his duo of Robins. And no matter how successful they are or aren’t as a trio, it will be forever Miami Wade County. Lebron was supposed to be an all-time great. But someone who is held in that regard would never leave his team in the prime of his career to join forces with the next best player in the league. What happened to working for a championship that you earned? He took the easy way out, plain and simple. Lebron is A-Rod, who joined Jeter to win. It is still Jeter’s team and city. He will be able to retire, look at his hand, and see how many more rings he has than A-Rod.

When Lebron mentioned casually that he would be changing his jersey number from 23 to 6 this season in honor of Michael Jordan, we all looked at that towards being a hint of him joining the Bulls. But we should have looked a bit deeper and known it was a clear sign he was joining the sorry Miami Heat. Being the only franchise besides Chicago to retire Jordan’s number 23, LBJ knew he would be switching to 6, only we didn’t connect the dots. I wonder what MJ was thinking last night when he saw this play out. Someone get me Bill Murray on the phone!

After James squirmed through saying the words “South Beach”, Jim Gray didn’t even have the journalistic integrity to ask some actual follow up questions. Even when he treaded lightly into murky waters, Lebron deflected every inquiry with a blasé answer. Don’t we deserve to hear answers from him after he has dominated the country’s thinking for the past few weeks? We are not worthy of such requests, it seems. The NBA was in fact weakened last night. The actual ramifications will only be told in the coming months and years. I must have missed the memo where it noted that LBJ was bigger than the game of basketball. In a few short days I went from having no emotional attachment to James while marveling at his game, to completely hating him for being a fraud and a coward. Even one of James’ closest confidants in the media, Brian Windhorst of the Plain Dealer had some interesting thoughts on LBJ 2.0.

So for now, we will be able to move on with our lives. Well, most of us anyway. Cleveland will be on suicide watch for the foreseeable future. Within the past 12 hours it went from a championship contender to a ghost town. Just look at what Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had to say moments after the announcement was made. This will be another heartbreak in a long line of bad memories for Cleveland. The Betrayal may end up being the worst of them all; only time will tell. One thing we do know for sure though, you can’t be The King when you are, at best, The Prince of your team.

Trailers…

I recently came across a fresh batch of all new movie trailers. Some releasing soon and others later this year. Take a gander and set your calendars…

• Lebanon

• The Kids Are All Right

• The Tillman Story

• The Other Guys

• Middle Men

• Countdown To Zero

• The Expendables

• Ramona And Bezzus

• Cairo Time

• The Concert

• The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Hit Me Back!

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E-Mail:     bJ@boobaJONES.com

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GET ON IT!!!

- bJ

What Up With Them?

Cliques. They exist in every aspect of life. At your job. In high school. Between mutual friends. They even exist in entertainment. Usually, you are semi-aware that they are in front of you, but for the most part, you simply go with it. So why not take a few moments to examine some of the more influential crews in the field. Whether it be TV, movies, media, etc, more times than not, there are certain people who are just “it”. 

Obviously, we would be re-missed if we didn’t mention the first pack of guys who pioneered this movement. I am, of course, speaking of The Rat Pack. There may not have been anybody more famous than these guys, during their era. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., among others, were looked upon as heroes. Anything they did would be the new trend in pop culture. They even starred in the original Ocean’s Eleven and paved the way for later generations. (Clooney, pay your dues!)

If we go back to the mid 1970’s when SNL was just starting, who could have guessed that the ragtag bunch who carried the show in its infancy would become such mega stars? Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Bill Murray. These men are titans in the comedy realm. They grew up together on a new show, unlike anything on television before them. But even once they departed and went down their own paths, they seemed to gravitate towards each others for various projects. 

The success they had, while being fabulous, may even pale in comparison to what the early-mid 1990’s cast was able to achieve. I can recall watching them at the time, and thinking that something extra was in the air, but I couldn’t fathom what would come to be. I am speaking of funny people such as: Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, David Spade, and many more. Reread that last sentence. It is a murder’s row of comedians. Could such a thing happen in today’s world? I would be hard pressed to think so. This crew may be the epitome of what sticking together is all about. You can bet your ass that you will spot 2-3 of them in each other’s works, always. Sandler is best known for casting his friends for roles in his films. (Coincidentally, Grown Ups seems like a reunion or sorts.)

Moving on into the 21st century, we got things kicked off right with Old School. We were introduced to the next crew of gents whom we would come to adore, best known as The Frat Pack. This exclusive club includes the likes of: Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Steve Carrell, and some say Jack Black. (Eh, I could take him or leave him, personally.) That first flick was only a taste of what was to come. We have been lucky enough to be given outstanding comedies by them ever since, including: Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Wedding Crashers, Blades of Glory and Tropic Thunder. All superb efforts that definitely paid dividends. 

While TFP was running amok in Hollywood, another crew was slowing coming into their own. They all bowed down to their ringleader - Judd Apatow. While he had done some critically acclaimed work on TV (Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared), it was now that he started to get recognized as a master of comedy. Along with his cohorts: Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Segal, Paul Rudd, Craig Robinson, James Franco, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, Michael Cera, John C. Reilly, and his wife Leslie Mann, he has completely owned the landscape for quite a while now. His movies have yet to disappoint. Most of them provide us with some of the most quotable lines in recent history. (See: 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, and Funny People.) 

Finally, let’s delve into the world of Podcasts. Within the past 2-3 years, one of the largest growing sectors of entertainment has been in the virtual audio field of podcasting. Podcasts offer you the option of listening to whatever you like, on your own schedule. Comedy, News, Sports, Entertainment. Every interest you may have will likely have a podcast that discusses it. There is a clique here as well, that bridges many topics, due to the fact that the people hosting these shows happen to be friends in real life as well. I am speaking of: Bill Simmons, Adam Carolla, Dave Dameshek to name a couple. They also have as guest friends of theirs too, like Cousin Sal Iacono, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Ross, and Sarah Silverman. You can always sense a better effort when these guys are amongst friends, because it feels genuine and real. 

The question now is, who will be the next crew that we fall in love with? Maybe it’s the hilarious people at FunnyorDie.com. They have been churning out great video after great video, each using a different Hollywood personality. It makes us laugh but also gives us an intimate look at each actor’s sense of humor and style. Even people who have been targets in clips before, suck it up and laugh at themselves. Just awesome to see. So keep your eyes and ears on high alert. You never know when a clique could be forming.