StumpTown Entertainment

Just thinking about a few things that I thought I would toss out there with a nod to the excellent Peter King who writes a must-read article called Monday Morning Quarterback for CNN/SI that no football fan should miss during the season. He always includes 10 things he thinks he thinks about football, so here are 10 things I think I think about sports. Also, check my other blogs later for 10 things I think I think about in general and about sports.

1. I think of the movies I have seen lately, but probably won’t have time to review, I think the following: Munich was very good, very well done and very long. Too long. Shave 35 minutes off and you have a great movie. Firewall was complete rubbish. I can’t imagine why Harrison Ford agreed to do that movie. Completely formulaic and predictable. Unleashed was good evidence that Jet Li should stick to fighting and not try acting. Some of the fight scenes were great and the story decent if you ignore the dumptruck sized holes in the plot, but Li’s acting was nearly unbearable. That said, saw the previews for his new kung fu epic and it looks great. Syriana was too slow and to convoluted and too pointless. I don’t know if I just wasn’t following the plot, or not caring about the plot, but either is bad.

2. I think I hate American TV because a truly great comedy like Arrested Development couldn’t catch on while that show with Charlie Sheen is a hit. Ugh. By the way, here’s my list of best (intentional) comedies on TV in order:
a. Curb Your Enthusiasm
b. My Name is Earl
c. The Office
d. Seinfeld reruns
e. I’m Alan Partridge reruns

And that’s it. Let me know if you think I’m missing something here, but I think that’s it. Also, speaking of the Office. I’m so glad, it has managed to survive after the first couple of episodes so lamely copied the vastly superior British version. The American version is dumbed down and is working with about half the talent of the original, but has made itself into a good show worth watching every week. Ordinarily I do not tivo sitcoms because if you miss one, so what, there will be reruns on forever and most of them are so bad, but both My Name is Earl and The Office have joined Seinfeld as the only sitcoms on my tivo.

3. I think I will be the last American to see that Pirate movie. I can tell from the previews that it has no shot at being better than the first one which was, I thought, a 6 out of 10 at best.

4. I think the great and groundbreaking TV show “Over There” must have been canceled and I couldn’t be more disappointed. Very underrated show. Pick it up on DVD.

5. I think there has never been, in the history of movies, an actor who made so many comedies that were not funny and yet maintained such an adoring fan base that think he’s funny as Ben Stiller. I like Stiller, but he has made a lot, I mean a lot of movies that just weren’t that funny. There’s Something About Mary was an instant classic, Zoolander had some funny parts, but dragged mightily, Mystery Men was underrated and funny and that’s really about it since I was too ashamed for Robert DeNiro to enjoy those wildly overrated “Me the…” movies. I mean really, people think he’s awesome, but he’s not a tenth as funny as Will Ferrel, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black or Steve Carrel.

6. I think I don’t understand why, when the LOTR movies were so good and so huge and so profitable, they didn’t immediately start making the Hobbit. Do people in Hollywood not like making money? Is there any other way to explain a movie like Firewall?

7. I think those new theaters with stadium seating and that big aisle that runs across the middle are fantastic and I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would sit in any row other than the one where you can stretch out in the big aisle and yet those seats are almost always open.

8. I think the things I’m about to start watching in the near future are: Superman Returns, Blade the Series, Psych, Deadwood Season 2, Entourage Season 2, November, The Machinist.

9. I think I’m ready for Woody Allen to make another great movie. I’m sorry, but Match Point was not it. Scarlet is nice, but that movie had not a single likeable character.

10. I think if you are contemplating a TV upgrade, you are insane if you don’t at least consider the possibility of getting a video projector. After doing about 6 months of research on these little gems, I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions. They are just too good and cheap (relatively) to ignore any longer.