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Archives: April 2009

Fri Apr 24, 2009

More Dragons' Den

Posted by: BScottBarnett on Apr 24, 09 | 7:59 pm | Profile

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Wed Apr 22, 2009

Observe and Report - Movie Review

Rating:
3.25 out of 5 stars

Observe and Report is a comedy with a love interest, but you would be hard pressed to classify it as a romantic comedy. It has guns and martial arts in it, but is definitely not an action movie. And it has a downtrodden protagonist, but he's so unlikeable and dim-witted, you'd be embarrassed to call him heroic in any normal sense of the word. It's a study in contradictions, and as such, is highly original, at least in places.

Do you have spend $10 to see it in the theater? No, but if you wait for DVD, some of the best parts are likely to be spoiled by people at the water cooler. Should you see it with a date? I wouldn't recommend it. But is it worth seeing it? If you're not easily offended and willing to wait for the laughs, I would recommend it... hesitantly.

Why the hesitation? At a key point midway through the movie, I noticed several audience members tensely watching while cringing behind their hands. It was a posture I've seen before in horror movie audiences. Instead of screeches of terror, though, it was staccato bursts of uncomfortable laughter that erupted every few minutes. In other words, watching Observe and Report is not exactly a comfortable experience. Fun and edgy? Yes. But comfortable? No.

Be aware: there are spoilers below.

The first 40 minutes or so of "Observe and Report" is downright awful. During that time, you will be subjected to an intimate view of Ronnie, a not-so-bright mall cop... excuse me... head-of-mall-security... with aspirations of being called into the "big leagues" as a real cop.

At the mall Ronnie lords his title over the lesser mall-cops when they make mistakes. He struts and postures as he and his posse patrol "his" mall in comedic slow motion. He frightens the female employees with the suggestion that he is the only thing standing between them and legions of depraved perverts waiting to assault them on their way to their cars. He spends his after-hours time at the target shooting range, practicing with real guns, which he's not allowed to carry at work. And he hampers and insults real cops when they come to his mall to investigate serious crimes that take place on his watch, claiming "I'm already on this case!"

And did I mention that he's not-so-bright.

But 45 minutes into the movie, the script takes a turn. Ronnie is revealed to be bi-polar, on medication and madly in love with a beautiful, but crass alcoholic, not unlike his mother. He asks his love interest out on what promises to be a date the likes of which you have probably not seen on camera before, although you may have had the horror of experiencing one like it in real-life.

When Ronnie pursues his dream of becoming a real cop, he predictably falls prey to the bullying of those he admires, culminating in a hilarious and shocking melee against the entire town's police force... armed only with a flashlight. And his final chase sequence with an impish flasher running wild in the mall is astonishingly original.

Observe and Report is worth a look and a laugh. And a cringe. Because you'll probably find yourself doing all three.

Posted by: BScottBarnett on Apr 22, 09 | 7:38 am | Profile

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Wed Apr 15, 2009

Watching this week: Dragon's Den

If you've not seen Dragon's Den, you really should check it out. Simple premise:

Five Investors, known affectionately as the "Dragons", sit in chairs waiting to invest their own money, as entrepreneurs come into the room one-by-one and pitch opportunities.

The Rules: if the entrepreneur asks for £200,000, the dragons must either agree to fund for that amount (individually or in partnership), or the entrepreneur leaves empty handed.

My friend James Hibberd, the uber-popular blogger and journalist at The Hollywood Reporter(View The Live Feed on the Hollywood Reporter), suggests that you should play along at home, by watching with a friend and guessing whether they'll get funding after their pitch, or not. Bonus points: predict why.

A sample episode is below.

Be sure to select "Dragons' Den: Series 6: Episode 8-2 of 6" in the bottom of your YouTube screen, to continue, after you've finished the first episode.

Posted by: BScottBarnett on Apr 15, 09 | 7:33 pm | Profile

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Thu Apr 02, 2009

Breaking Bad - Season 2 - Episode 2

More of Breaking Bad - Season 2. Online now.

Posted by: BScottBarnett on Apr 02, 09 | 12:19 am | Profile

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Wed Apr 01, 2009

Breaking Bad - Season 2 Premiere

If you've not seen the first season of Breaking Bad, it's great. But if you're the impatient type and can't handle waiting weeks for it to arrive from Netflix, go ahead and spoil everything by watching Season 2's premiere. Also great.

Background: The story follows a broke, broken-down chemistry teacher who discovers he is terminally ill with lung cancer. He's got a son with special needs and a pregnant 40-year old wife. So he does what anyone with his particular set of skills would do if desperate enough: he finds a partner (a former student turned deliquent) and opens a meth lab, and starts making the money that his family will need after he's gone. Oh... and his brother-in-law is with the DEA.

Complications ensue.

Posted by: BScottBarnett on Apr 01, 09 | 12:02 am | Profile

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