The Film Guide - Top 10 Reasons to Stay In for the Summer

 
Top 10 Reasons to Stay In for the Summer
 
I know what you're thinking: Sunshine, Fresh Air, Lovely Sandy Beaches, Young Women in Bikinis, Young Men in Speedos, Cool Summer Nights, Saturday Bloody Mary Brunches, Boogie Boarding, Surfing…these are all a young man's game.
 
For the likes of you and me, we prefer to stay indoors, curl up with a cup of tea and some Walkers shortbread cookies, a cat on the lap, the remote within arm's reach, and while away the hours safely ensconced in the welcoming embrace of hearth and home…and the Big Screen TV.
 
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Reasons to Stay In for the Summer:
 
1. Pardon the Interruption [ESPN, Weekdays, 5:30e/2:30p]
 
2. The Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club [25 June – 08 July 2007, ESPN2 and NBC, Check your local listings]
 
3. Bill Moyers Journal [PBS, Friday, 8/7c]
 
4. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart [Comedy Central, Monday – Thursday, 11/10c]
 
5. Creature Comforts [CBS, Monday, 8/7c]
 
6. The Closer [TNT, Monday, 9/8c]
 
7. Rescue Me [FX, Wednesday, 10/9c]
 
8. Shaq's Big Challenge [ABC, Tuesday, 9/8c]
 
9. Monk [USA, Friday, 9/8c]
 
10. Hangin' with The Better Half and Endora Louise "Dori Lu" Mickelson Basu [The basu! Network, 7 Days a Week, As Many Hours in the Day as Possible]
 
Have a great Summer!
 

The basu! Guide to the Movies

(The El-Pato-Beats-El-Tigre Edition)

15 June 2007

 


The b! List
 
Ten things that are the best, ever (currently)!
 
1. Sir(!) Ian Botham. Long overdue and well deserved. And yes, I did wear out that VHS tape I had of the 1981 Ashes (forever referred to as Botham's Ashes) growing up. All hail Sir Beefy! http://tinyurl.com/ypb5ze
 
2. Rhys Coiro as Billy Walsh on Entourage. Whoo boy, the best thing about the crackerjack season opener. I'm so glad they brought him back. I now pledge to behave exactly like Walsh, so this is fair warning for when you see me walking around calling people "Suit"! http://tinyurl.com/ytj4c9
 
3. Lewis Hamilton. Proving that his win the race before was no flash in the proverbial pan, the young phenom followed up a win at the Canadian Grand Prix with a tremendous win at the home of American racing – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hello World indeed! [Special mention to my friend Doney Joseph for pointing out his omission from last week's list.] http://tinyurl.com/yuq8av
 
4. Angel Cabrera. While Eldrick T. Woods was busy showing off that amazing physique he works so hard on at the Equinox gym below my office, this chain-smoking, overweight, thoroughly charming Argentine (Argentinian? Argentinean?) held it together to walk off with Golf's most grueling Major. Of course, Woods is better known as Tiger, while Cabrera is better known as…El Pato…i.e. The Duck! http://tinyurl.com/2zzvx5
 
5. Andy Roddick. The other A-Rod wins the most famous Wimbledon warm-up, the Queen's Club grass-court championship, for the fourth time. At least he'll have something to look back on when he watches Roger Federer lift the trophy at Wimbledon for the fifth(!) time. Yup, I called it…  http://tinyurl.com/2vb6j5
 
6. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. The perfect song for the perfect ending of the perfect television show. "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world…" http://tinyurl.com/2u7nwc
 
7. Emanuel "Manu" Ginóbili. As my friend Doney Joseph pointed out, Manu is the only player in Basketball history to win the Euroleague, an Olympic Gold medal, and an NBA Championship ring. http://tinyurl.com/2vx8gh
 
8. Newman's Own® Organics Premium Cat Food. Only the best for your kitty…and it's good for charity and the environment to boot!  http://tinyurl.com/2t2aeh
 
9. Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The only brave soul in an otherwise gutless West Indies Cricket team. To paraphrase one Paul Simon: "Oh where have you gone Clive Lloyd…and Viv Richards…and Joel Garner…and  Gordon Greenidge…and Desmond Haynes...and Michael Holding...and Curtly Ambrose.... …and Courtney Walsh...and Malcolm Marshall…and  Richie Richardson …and Alvin Kallicharran...and Andy Roberts...and Jeff Dujon…and  Carl Hooper…and…" http://tinyurl.com/2v7z79
 
10. Whole Foods Market at Plaza El Segundo, El Segundo, CA. As my friend (and budding chef) Monique "Mo" Owen said, it's like Costco crossed with World Market. Except, there is fresh-cooked organic beef brisket…and organic crab bisque…and organic prosciutto…and organic Losange cheese…and organic Peppermint Sugar Face Scrub…oops, I may have said too much! http://tinyurl.com/39cxg2
 
New Movies
 
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Directed by: Tim Story
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon
Plot: A close-knit group of superheroes must deal with an impending marriage, their newfound celebrity, new relationships…and, oh, yeah, a strange intergalactic surfer who might just destroy the Earth. I-thought-surfers-were-peace-lovin'-dudes type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: At the very least…at the very least…Twentieth Century Fox was smart enough not to spend too much money on what could have easily turned out to be an overblown, over-long, over-serious comic book film franchise. Yeah, I admit I was surprised when it opened as big as it did – I am glad that there are still people out there with tastes as bad as mine.
Bottom Line: "Bad" Andy Abdelmalek, Bartley Edmund Jenniches IV, Me and Other Comic Book Geeks: Theatres – Eventually; Other, More Sensible People: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Batman Begins; Spider-Man 2; X2: X-Men United ; Tin Cup
 
Fido
Directed by: Andrew Currie
Starring: Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Henry Czerny, Tim Blake Nelson, Dylan Baker
Plot: A young boy becomes close to the butler his mother brings home…of course, said butler just happens to be a zombie. Good-help-is-so-hard-to-find these days.
The basu! Buzz: In a sea of overwrought torture-porn movies (with the implosion of Hostel II at the box office, old fuddy-duddies such as I sincerely hope that this particular cycle of this particularly soul-crushing genre is waning quickly) a quirky little comedy about zombies is exactly what the movie doctor ordered!
Bottom Line: Those Lucky Few in Manhattan: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Less Fortunate Souls: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Dead Alive; Army of Darkness: Evil Dead 3; Shaun of the Dead ; Tin Cup
 
Nancy Drew
Directed by: Andrew Fleming
Starring: Emma Roberts, Tate Donovan, Rachael Leigh Cook, Laura Elena Harring
Plot: A young tweenage girl moves to Hollywood and gets embroiled in an unsolved mystery. Something-tells-me-that-life-in-Hollywood-for-a-real-tweenage-girl-is-very-different type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: When we were young, I used to love reading The Hardy Boys, while my sister and the other girls loved reading Nancy Drew. We always heard the rumors that Franklin W. Dixon (the purported writer of the former series) and Carolyn Keene (the purported writer of the latter series) were one and the same. American audiences will remember The Hardy Boys Mysteries with Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy (I know The Better Half does). However, I'm not sure most of them would remember that the show rotated with the lesser-known The Nancy Drew Mysteries. The titular character in this movie is played by Eric Roberts's daughter and Julia Roberts's niece. Why am I rambling on with random facts about The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew? Because I really have nothing much to say about something as unbearably innocuous as this hastily-assembled, quickly-forgotten little film.
Bottom Line: Tweenage Girls in Need of Positive Role Models: DVD; Other, Less Conflicted People: Pass
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The Princess Diaries; Freaky Friday  (2003); Mean Girls; Tin Cup
 
Eagle vs. Shark
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Craig Hall
Plot: An unexpected romance blooms between two misfit outsiders in New Zealand. The-Kiwi-answer-to-Napoleon-Dynamite type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Clement is one half of the comedy-folk duo Flight of the Conchords. Now, if HBO can launch the career of Jack Black with a show about…a comedy-folk duo (Tenacious D), then Clement must be hoping that things work out for him with his new show on HBO called… Flight of the Conchords, which is about…a comedy-folk duo. School of Rock Down Under anyone?
Bottom Line: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): Napoleon Dynamite; Rushmore; The Breakfast Club ; Tin Cup
 
The Top 10 Movies of 2007
 
300
Zodiac
Eklavya
Spider-Man 3
Ocean's Thirteen (new entry)
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Grindhouse (Though, truthfully, Death Proof was a bit better than Planet Terror)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (new entry)
The Namesake
Movie To Be Named Later
 

Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
 
The Lives of Others
Crazy Love
Hot Fuzz
La Vie en Rose
Knocked Up
Paprika
La Vie en Rose
28 Weeks Later
Shrek the Third
Fay Grim

The Film Guide - The Moz Mash-Up

The Moz Mash-Up
 
To kick things off on our First Anniversary (we got married twice, so there will be two of these each year…sigh) weekend, The Better Half and I went to see Morrissey at the Hollywood Bowl.
 
Now, I know a bit of the Moz, and have listened to him here and there, but The Better Half truly loves him, and boy was she not alone!
 
There was every conceivable kind of human being when I walked up to Bowl that cool Friday evening, and I had no idea that this gentle, slightly effete, very well dressed middle-aged man from Manchester could inspire such passion from the all these people outlined below.
 
All you have to do is multiple each column with each other to get a cross-section of the live audience at the Bowl that night…pretty mind-blowing huh?
 
As for the First Anniversary itself…well, I watched the French Open, ate Pizza, watched the NBA Finals, ate crêpes, lay on the sofa, and then watched all those hours of The Sopranos we had saved up on the DVR leading up to the grand finale. It was all topped off by some delicious butter pecan/macadamia nut/Heath toffee ice-cream with whipped cream.
 
I wonder why guys fret so much over their anniversaries?
 
The Moz Mash-Up
 

American Indian	Goth	Father	Teenage	Child
Arab	Punk	Mother	Tweenage	Boy
Asian	Post-Punk	Sister	Young	Girl
Asian Indian	Metalhead	Brother	Middle Age	Man
Cajun	Screamo	Son	Upper Middle Age	Woman
Chinese	Pop	Daughter	Older	Transgender
Cuban	Post-Pop	Uncle	Old	Dude
Czech	Neo-Pop	Aunt	Under 18	Surfer Dude
Danish	Retro New Wave	Cousin	18-24	Frat Boy
Dutch	Rockabilly	Grandfather	25-34	Sorority Sister
Filipino	New-Rockabilly	Grandmother	35-44	Frat Dude
Finnish	Acoustic Punk	Nephew	45-54	Sorority Chick
French	Jazz	Niece	Over 55	Girly Girl
French Canadian	Acoustic Techno Fusion	Cousin Brother	Self Employed	Tom Boy
German	Big Band	Cousin Sister	Administration	Girly Man
Greek	Be Bop	First Cousin	I.T.	Metros*xual
Hispanic	Acoustic Rock	Second Cousin	Unskilled	Soccer Mom
Hungarian	Soul	Third Cousin	Skilled	Soccer Dad
Icelandic	Big Beat	Fourth Cousin	Lower Management	Vegetarian
Irish	Surf-Rock	Grand Nephew	Middle Management	Non-Conformist
Italian	Reggaeton	Grand Niece	Upper Management	Conformist
Japanese	Paisley Underground	First Cousin Once Removed	Currently Unemployed	Fashionista
Korean	Trip-Hope	First Cousin Twice removed	Student	Intellectual Superhero
Lebanese	Folk-Punk	First Cousin Thrice removed	Homemaker	Angry Young Man
Mexican	Tejano	Great Grand Nephew	Retired	Angry Young Woman
Norwegian	Reggae	Great Grand Niece	Home Owners
Pennsylvania German	Shoe-Gazer	Second Cousin Once Removed	Car Owners	Laid-Back Dude
Polish	Techno	Second Cousin Twice removed	Married	Snob
Puerto Rican	Funk	Second Cousin Thrice removed	Parents	People Pleaser
Russian	Bohemian Dub	Step-Father	Smokers	Loner
Scandinavian	World Beat	Step-Mother	Dog Owners	Republican
Scottish-Irish	Post-Romanticism	Step-Sister	Cat Owners	Slacker
Scottish	Gangsta	Step-Brother	Soccer Fans	Elitist
Swedish	Wanksta	Step-Son	Basketball Fans	Know-It-All
Ukrainian	Brit-Pop	Step-Daughter	Music Lovers	Democrat
Vietnamese	Hip-Hop	Distant Relative	Affluent	Texan
White	Prog-Rock	Acquaintance	Other	Sardar

 

The basu! Guide to the Movies

(The Corporate-Rebel-Without-a-Cause Edition)

08 June 2007

 
The b! List
 
Ten things that are the best, ever (currently)!
 
1. The Sopranos Series Finale. The perfect ending to what Stephen Holden called the "most important piece of pop-culture in the last 25 years." The debate over what really happened will rage on forever; what will not be debated, however, is that we have seen perhaps the only truly great piece of art that television will produce in our lifetimes. http://tinyurl.com/2xedvc
 
2. Rafael Nadal. I never thought I'd see the day that someone would beat the Greatest Athlete alive (Roger Federer) into abject surrender. This is exactly why Tennis is much more compelling than Golf. Plus, it was great just to see Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten again! http://tinyurl.com/2smuam
 
3. Rags to Riches Wins the Belmont Stakes. Talk about Girl Power…the foxy filly kept battling right until the bitter end to defeat Curlin and become the first filly to win a Triple Crown race in over a hundred years. You Go Girl! http://tinyurl.com/3cynjo
 
4. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
5. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
6. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
7. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
8. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
9. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
10. I'm Sorry, I Won't Do it Again.
 
One to Watch: Sure-Fire Best Actress Oscar Nominee
 
La Vie en Rose
Directed by: Olivier Dahan
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Gérard Depardieu, Emmanuelle Seigner, Sylvie Testud
Plot: A biopic of legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf, whose personal life was every bit as dramatic as her songs. Truth-is-always-more-powerful-than-fiction type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Back when The Better Half and I were walking around the streets of the Second Best City in the World (aka Paris) we kept seeing these posters for a movie called La Môme. As the Parisians walked by in their oh-so fashionable way (loved those jaunty scarves that the men wore), they would notice these posters and immediately start talking very animatedly about the movie (presumably – I do not speak a lick of French beyond what I learned from years of watching the French Open; stuff like S'il vous plait… Égalité…Avantage Mademoiselle Graf…Jeu Monsieur Bruguera…Quinze–Zéro…Jeu, Set, Match Monsieur Nadal). I'd never heard about the film, and was surprised to see so much excitement emanating from these Parisians with such discriminating taste (oops…I almost wrote "these discriminating Parisians" which would have a different connotation entirely…whew…close call!). Then, all of a sudden, it dawned on me…a lady in the 1940s, her back to the camera, singing in front of an adoring crowd…the drama…the passion…it could only be…that's right, that long-gestating Edith Piaf biopic. Of course, for American audiences, they had to re-title it after her most famous song (the one that my parents played all…the…time), but it's almost certain that you can pencil in Cotillard (who must be thanking her lucky stars for getting out of the dreadful A Good Year alive) for a nomination come 22 Jan 2008 (you heard it here first).
Bottom Line: Those Lucy Few in Manhattan and Los Angeles: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Less Fortunate Souls: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The Conformist; 1984; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ; Cool Hand Luke; The Corporation
 
One to Watch: The Fourth of the Stampeding Three-quels
 
Ocean's Thirteen
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Al Pacino, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, and The Great Carl Reiner (whew!)
Plot: A conman gathers his gang for that obligatory "one last job" after one his friends is double-crossed. How-high-can-you-count? type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: People loved the first one ( Eleven), hated the second one (Twelve), and are ambivalent about the third (uh, Thirteen) . Now, be honest with me, would you really give up a chance to see a movie featuring the Man Crushes of the Summer (so memorably dubbed by the San Francisco Chronicle)? Nope, I didn't think so.
Bottom Line: Theatres – Eventually
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The Conformist; 1984; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ; Cool Hand Luke; The Corporation
 
One Not to Watch: The Horror of Making a Sequel to a Classic Film
 
Belle Toujours
Directed by: Manoel de Oliveira
Starring: Michel Piccoli, Bulle Ogier
Plot: A sequel/homage to the classic film Belle du Jour. The-horror-the-horror! type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: It's good to see that the abhorrent practice of endlessly recycling old films is not just a uniquely American tradition…of course, the French/Portuguese do have the good taste to try to butcher a great film rather than a pedestrian, well-known one.
Bottom Line: NEVER!
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The Conformist; 1984; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ; Cool Hand Luke; The Corporation
 
New Movies
 
Surf's Up
Directed by: Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Zooey Deschanel, Jeff Bridges, Jon Heder, James Woods
Plot: The world's best surfer must stand up against the best to prove that he is the best…penguin?! I-thought-penguins-lived-in-the-cold-type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: Disturbia , Transformers, Indiana Jones IV and this movie…I've just about had enough of this LaBeouf guy. I mean, really, this is the son of Indiana Jones? Now, I know Steven Spielberg needs to pull in that Disney Channel demographic (Lord knows he can't anymore), but did he really have to sink this low? Add this to the fact that Sean Connery is not coming out of retirement to be Indy's dad just one more time, and you can see why I am so bl**dy upset!
Bottom Line: Those with Screaming Little Children in Desperate Need of Babysitting Help: Theatres – Eventually; Other, Much Luckier People: DVD
Other Movies to Check Out (as well): The Conformist; 1984; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ; Cool Hand Luke; The Corporation
 
Hostel: Part II
Directed by: Eli Roth
Starring: Lauren German, Roger Bart, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips
Plot: Three young American women are lured to a hostel where the checkout time is…never! Sorry-couldn't-resist-type complications ensue.
The basu! Buzz: How did I know that I'd finally become too old? Was it when I couldn't touch my toes anymore, even with my knees bent? No. Was it when I found myself out of breath walking up the stairs…to the first floor? No. Was it when I found myself in bed with a cup of tea, watching reruns of Murder She Wrote on a Saturday night? No. It was when even I could not bring myself to watch any more torture porn like this. The studio LionsGate should be proud, it is this close to beating Paramount for the title of Worst Studio, Ever .
Bottom Line: Pass!
Other Movies to Check Out (instead): The Conformist; 1984; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ; Cool Hand Luke; The Corporation
 
The Top 10 Movies of 2007
 
300
Zodiac
Eklavya
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Spider-Man 3
Grindhouse (Though, truthfully, Death Proof was a bit better than Planet Terror)
The Namesake
Movie To Be Named Later
Movie To Be Named Later
Movie To Be Named Later
 
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
 
The Lives of Others
Crazy Love
Hot Fuzz
Knocked Up
Paprika
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
28 Weeks Later
Shrek the Third
Fay Grim
Mr. Brooks