Wednesday, August 24, 2005
We Don't Need No Education
Two great new shows to talk about today: "Gene Simmons' Rock School" and "Tommy Lee Goes To College."
It should come as no surprise to most of you that I would be all over anything Simmons is involved with, and you would be right. "Rock School" (airing Friday nights on VH1 at 10:30, along with numerous replays during the week) is a real-life version of the Jack Black movie "School of Rock." Simmons (or MR. Simmons, as he is called here) travels to a stuffy British boarding school to teach a group of classically-trained pre-teens about Rock 'N' Roll, a subject they know nothing about. His goal: transform the straight-laced bunch into a bona-fide rock band, capable of opening a show for seminal British metal band Motorhead. Based on the premiere episode, Gene has a tough road ahead of him, but not as tough as these kids do. Simmons is in top form here, coming across as his usual bombastic, arrogant, self, but with a twist: When he's with the kids, you can see a softer side emerging. He's not just a rock star asshole; he cares about these kids. One of the youths in particular is a real misfit, and it's almost touching to see Gene empathize so well, and take the outcast under his wing, naming him lead singer of the band (understandable, as Simmons himself came to America at a very young age, without knowing a word of English, and spent most of his own youth ostracized from the "cool" kids). You don't have to be a fan of KISS to appreciate this show, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I'm also enjoying "Tommy Lee Goes To College" (Tuesday nights on NBC, and re-shown Fridays on VH1 right before "Rock School"). Lee comes across as such a nice, regular guy here, that it's almost hard to believe that he's a big rock star. Nothing much of real substance here, as Lee is not REALLY enrolled at the University of Nebraska; he's merely attending classes for the TV show. But he is really trying, and is taking the whole endeavor rather seriously. Recommended mostly because Lee is just so affable, it's hard not to root for him.
It should come as no surprise to most of you that I would be all over anything Simmons is involved with, and you would be right. "Rock School" (airing Friday nights on VH1 at 10:30, along with numerous replays during the week) is a real-life version of the Jack Black movie "School of Rock." Simmons (or MR. Simmons, as he is called here) travels to a stuffy British boarding school to teach a group of classically-trained pre-teens about Rock 'N' Roll, a subject they know nothing about. His goal: transform the straight-laced bunch into a bona-fide rock band, capable of opening a show for seminal British metal band Motorhead. Based on the premiere episode, Gene has a tough road ahead of him, but not as tough as these kids do. Simmons is in top form here, coming across as his usual bombastic, arrogant, self, but with a twist: When he's with the kids, you can see a softer side emerging. He's not just a rock star asshole; he cares about these kids. One of the youths in particular is a real misfit, and it's almost touching to see Gene empathize so well, and take the outcast under his wing, naming him lead singer of the band (understandable, as Simmons himself came to America at a very young age, without knowing a word of English, and spent most of his own youth ostracized from the "cool" kids). You don't have to be a fan of KISS to appreciate this show, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
I'm also enjoying "Tommy Lee Goes To College" (Tuesday nights on NBC, and re-shown Fridays on VH1 right before "Rock School"). Lee comes across as such a nice, regular guy here, that it's almost hard to believe that he's a big rock star. Nothing much of real substance here, as Lee is not REALLY enrolled at the University of Nebraska; he's merely attending classes for the TV show. But he is really trying, and is taking the whole endeavor rather seriously. Recommended mostly because Lee is just so affable, it's hard not to root for him.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Good Ol' Boys?
I saw the new "Dukes Of Hazzard" movie recently with fairly high hopes. I wasn't expecting an epic on the scale of "Lawrence of Arabia," but I figured it would be some good, dumb fun. I left the theatre fairly disappointed. It was pretty dumb, but, well, I just didn't think it was funny. Was it supposed to be? It sure as hell was marketed that way. Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott both did fine work and were charming as heck as Bo and Luke Duke, but I just didn't laugh. Not once. Cool car chases? Check. Completely brain-dead plot? Right on. Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson as Boss Hogg and Uncle Jesse, respectively? Perfect. Laughter? Completely absent. All in all, I guess it was an O.K. film, just not quite what I expected going in. My 11-year old loved it. Whoops, I just remembered, I did laugh once: If you've seen both this film and "Super Troopers" then you got the joke and loved it as much as I did. If not, explaining it would do no good.
I also saw "March of the Penguins." I'm not a huge documentary person or particularly interested in nature normally, so a nature documentary seemed to be exactly up the wrong alley for me. This was really super, though. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, "Penguins" documents an annual ritual for Emperor Penguins in Antarctica: a 70-mile walk across unforgiving terrain to the breeding ground where they mate once a year, only to try and keep the egg and, later, the chick that hatches from it, safe from the harshest winter on the planet. It's not the kind of movie I would necessarily want to buy on DVD and watch over and over again, but it is a fascinating look at a subject most people probably know nothing about. At different times it manages to be touching, sweet, sad, and funny. Highly recommended.
I also saw "March of the Penguins." I'm not a huge documentary person or particularly interested in nature normally, so a nature documentary seemed to be exactly up the wrong alley for me. This was really super, though. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, "Penguins" documents an annual ritual for Emperor Penguins in Antarctica: a 70-mile walk across unforgiving terrain to the breeding ground where they mate once a year, only to try and keep the egg and, later, the chick that hatches from it, safe from the harshest winter on the planet. It's not the kind of movie I would necessarily want to buy on DVD and watch over and over again, but it is a fascinating look at a subject most people probably know nothing about. At different times it manages to be touching, sweet, sad, and funny. Highly recommended.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Mo' Movies
At the risk of falling into a rut, I'm going to do more movie reviews today! And, despite the title of this post, I will not be talking about the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" (Fun Trivia Fact for those playing along at home: "Mo' Money" was the movie I took my wife to on our very first date. For some reason she still married me). And away we go...
WEDDING CRASHERS: Either Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson individually turn up the humor quotient in any movie they are in. The two together are comedy gold. It's great to see a good old-fashioned R-rated comedy again. The great thing about this movie is that it doesn't use the R-rating as an excuse to just be filthy (although consider this a warning: it is filthy), but instead focuses on being FUNNY. Don't expect any Oscar nominations next year, just go and laugh your ass off. Side note: Is Rachel McAdams turning into this year's Jude Law? It seems she's in just about every movie nowadays.
THE BAD NEWS BEARS: I'm very conflicted about this one, because Billy Bob Thornton is genuinely funny in it, but I didn't care for it. I really wanted to, but I just didn't. Here's the thing: despite Billy Bob's hysterical performance, everything else around him kind of, well, sucked. The kids were all just horrendous, every one of them. Every time one of them opened their mouths, I cringed. The whole movie seemed rushed as well, which seems kind of odd, because the brilliant original film told the same story in a shorter running time. I never really bought Billy Bob's transformation from washed-up drunk who cares only about himself to reformed drunk who cares about the kids (and I hate to keep harping on this, but if the viewer doesn't like the kids, why should he or she give a shit whether or not Billy Bob does?). Skip this and go re-watch the Walter Matthau version again.
SKY HIGH: What a blast this movie is. A fun, light-hearted take on Super Heroes that simultaneously parodies the misery of high school. The basic plot is thus: the offspring of super-powered beings attend a hidden school floating high above the ground to learn how to properly use their powers (when they arrive on the first day of school, the always fantastic Bruce Campbell assigns them a label of either 'Hero' or 'Sidekick' based on their powers). The incoming freshman class includes Will Stronghold, whose parents happen to be the greatest heroes of all time, The Commander and Jetstream (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston). Does this fact make school any easier for Will? As he says himself, "If life were to suddenly start being fair, I doubt it would happen in high school." This was one of the nicest surprises I've seen in quite a while, and I give it my highest recommendation.
Coming SOON: "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "March of the Penguins." I plan on seeing them both in the coming week and will post my thoughts here.
WEDDING CRASHERS: Either Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson individually turn up the humor quotient in any movie they are in. The two together are comedy gold. It's great to see a good old-fashioned R-rated comedy again. The great thing about this movie is that it doesn't use the R-rating as an excuse to just be filthy (although consider this a warning: it is filthy), but instead focuses on being FUNNY. Don't expect any Oscar nominations next year, just go and laugh your ass off. Side note: Is Rachel McAdams turning into this year's Jude Law? It seems she's in just about every movie nowadays.
THE BAD NEWS BEARS: I'm very conflicted about this one, because Billy Bob Thornton is genuinely funny in it, but I didn't care for it. I really wanted to, but I just didn't. Here's the thing: despite Billy Bob's hysterical performance, everything else around him kind of, well, sucked. The kids were all just horrendous, every one of them. Every time one of them opened their mouths, I cringed. The whole movie seemed rushed as well, which seems kind of odd, because the brilliant original film told the same story in a shorter running time. I never really bought Billy Bob's transformation from washed-up drunk who cares only about himself to reformed drunk who cares about the kids (and I hate to keep harping on this, but if the viewer doesn't like the kids, why should he or she give a shit whether or not Billy Bob does?). Skip this and go re-watch the Walter Matthau version again.
SKY HIGH: What a blast this movie is. A fun, light-hearted take on Super Heroes that simultaneously parodies the misery of high school. The basic plot is thus: the offspring of super-powered beings attend a hidden school floating high above the ground to learn how to properly use their powers (when they arrive on the first day of school, the always fantastic Bruce Campbell assigns them a label of either 'Hero' or 'Sidekick' based on their powers). The incoming freshman class includes Will Stronghold, whose parents happen to be the greatest heroes of all time, The Commander and Jetstream (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston). Does this fact make school any easier for Will? As he says himself, "If life were to suddenly start being fair, I doubt it would happen in high school." This was one of the nicest surprises I've seen in quite a while, and I give it my highest recommendation.
Coming SOON: "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "March of the Penguins." I plan on seeing them both in the coming week and will post my thoughts here.
