Tag: Movies

The Arch and St. Louis at the Movies

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Being a native of St. Louis, it’s always a kick to see your hometown in the movies. That moment when you smile at the sight of the Arch, Laclede’s Landing or perhaps Grand boulevard. It’s a small proud moment. Sometimes, films don’t actually film there but basically show an air shot that they put into their movie without actually shooting a single take there. Movies like the Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy comedy, Identity Thief. Parenthood, the 1989 Ron Howard film, was set in St. Louis but shot in Orlando.

Due to St. Louis’ high tax rate for film crews, a lot of films aren’t actually shot in St. Louis but the coverage is basically taken for a location device. Sometimes, a film uses exteriors and shoots in The Lou. Here are a few.

American Flyers(1985)-This Kevin Costner bicycle riding flick opened its film with a moving shot of Laclede’s Landing and the Arch. Before he became a star with No Way Out and his numerous baseball titles, Costner shot a movie in St. Louis with director John Badham.

White Palace(1990)-This James Spader-Susan Sarandon romance shot in numerous locations across St. Louis, including Duffy’s Restaurant, Laclede’s Landing, The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and Lemp Mansion. They shot at a diner called White Knight(a place that still stands today at 18th Street and Olive) several times, renaming the diner in the film “White Palace”. I visited this place numerous times with my dad before school as a kid. A poster of the film hangs in the place.

Planes Trains & Automobiles(1987)-The John Hughes film starring Steve Martin and John Candy shot briefly at Lambert International Airport and featured a shot of the Arch.

National Lampoons Vacation(1983)-A scene where Clark Griswold drives lost through East St. Louis asking for directions and having his car vandalized was actually filmed on a Hollywood backlot and not in East St. Louis, which sparked a controversy. Only exterior shots were used for this film. The infamous scene where Chevy Chase utters the words “Excuse me homes” was not shot in St. Louis.

Manhunter(1986)-The Michael Mann classic with William Petersen chasing a serial killer shot at Lambert International Airport in a brief scene.

Up in the Air(2009)–The George Clooney film is the most recent and notable St. Louis film because it didn’t just show the Arch but shot in many locations in St. Louis. They shot at Afton High School, Cheshire Inn in Clayton, and at Lambert as well. They shot many scenes at business buildings right next to KSDK on Market Street off 7th, 8th and 9th street.

Escape from New York(1981)-The Kurt Russell adventure film shot scenes at Union Station, Chain of Rocks Bridge and the Fox Theater as well as featuring the Arch.

King of The Hill(1993)-Steven Soderbergh’s indie shot set in the Depression Era in Soulard’s Market as well as other locations around St. Louis.

Mississippi Grind(2015)-The Ryan Reynolds gambling film features several locations in St. Louis but has a long single take where Reynolds talks with Sienna Miller on a boat going down the Mississippi River and the Arch and Riverfront are in the background.

Showing the Arch is one thing but it’s extra special when actual famous locations in St. Louis are used in films. Sometimes a film just wants exterior shots but sometimes they want both. I hope you enjoyed this list as much I did bringing it to you.

Now Playing: What Movies NOT to watch

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As a film critic and natural lover of cinema, I see a lot of movies. In doing so, I can help others avoid some of the bad ones on the market and steer their hard working cash into the right theater. If they are at home, I can help them not waste their time, because sometimes that’s as bad as a movie burning a hole in your wallet. Here, I will present what to AVOID in theaters, on demand, on DVD or soon to be released. Take it or leave it.

Vacation(November 3rd on DVD)

Don’t waste your time on this film because it’s plain stupid and the laughs run out. Ed Helms is the Griswold patriarch trying to enliven his family by taking them to Wally World and the truth is I didn’t make it through this film. There comes a time where the light shining outside the theater is worth exploring more than the cinematic world you are sitting in. The old National Lampoon films were glorious and wickedly fresh. Instead of dishing Chevy Chase a cameo here, they should have sent seniors on a road trip. They were funny. This is not. Unless you adore Chris Hemsworth, who has a cameo, skip this one.

Selfless(November 10th on DVD, now playing On Demand)

Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley swap bodies. No, this is not a drill but a real life movie idea that got green-lit because hundreds of people needed work. Kingsley is an old rich guy who is dying and wants to stick around so he takes the body of Reynolds and likes it a bit at first before predictable side effects enter. Suddenly, halfway through, an action film breaks out and the film tries to tie a bow on things at the end instead of being remotely edgy. Do yourself a favor and watch Reynolds’ other new flick, Mississippi Grind instead.

Tomorrowland(available On Demand and DVD)

George Clooney and the director of The Incredibles!!! What could go wrong? The reveal is a lot. The early hype on this fantasy space land, aliens, and superpowers starts off intriguing enough and has a few dazzling action sequences but in the end when the big reveal happens, it’s flat and bland. My wife fell asleep and I picked up my phone and checked college football scores and I don’t even like college football. Clooney and a young girl team up to escape to this magical place where dreams come true and there’s an ultimate meaning to it all and…well I just yawned. Moving on.

Paper Towns(available On Demand and on DVD)

The writer of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green, penned this tale about a shy kid who falls for the wild girl who suddenly runs away, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for loverboy to follow. Nat Wolff is a compelling 20 year old actor and Cara Delevingne is a edgy enough cohort with killer eyes, but the supporting ingredients lack real juice. The kid’s friends are a drag played by bad actors, belonging on a Nickelodeon series and not a feature film. The chase across the country isn’t exciting and the ultimate message about the end of innocence is as tired as a McDonalds commercial. Skip it and watch Fault instead.

Knock Knock(On Demand and In Theaters)

Eli Roth torturing Keanu Reeves didn’t sound cool or nice in the trailer and premise and the execution didn’t prove my initial theory wrong. This is a movie about a happy husband and father who is alone one rainy evening before a couple of mysterious pretty women show up at his door. When he lets them in, the audience knows bad things will happen. The ensuing torture sessions, intentional yet irritating humor and terrible performances plays like a bad joke from a respected horror mind in Roth. Reaves just got back on his horse playing John Wick and doesn’t help his cause here. He is bad and so is the rest of this trashy flick.

That’s it. If you need a movie to see in theaters, check out The Walk or The Martian. If you are staying at home, check out Fury Road or Pitch Perfect 2. Until next time, enjoy your next flick.

“Mississippi Grind” is a cinematic royal flush

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Mississippi-Grind-1Special movies know their identity and goal. They may not aspire to win the Oscar gold or the top spot at the box office but instead just register long enough for the viewer to smile at the credits and feel like their time wasn’t wasted. Mississippi Grind, about a pair of Gamblers working multiple joints up and down the famous riverfront, is a special treat because it aims to please and features original characters.

You may think you know Ben Mendelsohn’s Gerry and Ryan Reynolds’ Curtis from previous cinematic stories, but the truth is they are two of a kind. A pair of jokers working the clubs until the queens demand they return home. Two imperfect souls who are very good at being “the guy from nowhere who can play poker” and not very good at being a regular person. Gerry is down on his luck and owes everybody in the Midwest when he runs into Curtis, a good luck charm in the flesh at a game. Gerry loses all his money but finds a partner in crime in the younger Curtis. They hit the road and work the Mississippi River and all the highs and lows it has to offer. St. Louis, New Orleans, Alabama and Little Rock shine a light on our anti-heroes and give the film a beautifully gritty backdrop to deal off for its sharp 108 minute running time.

Writing/Directing tandem Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck basically toss the audience in the backseat of this guy and let them watch Gerry and Curtis ride the wave that every gambling junkie knows well. Big wins followed by little losses and the impulse to keep playing and the desire to withstand the greed that lurks inside any human soul. It’s all about knowing when to get out and run away clean and Gerry doesn’t know that mark at all. Curtis is the smarter player but that doesn’t make him any more even keeled. Gambling is a drug and it’s treated more honestly here than in other gambling movies. The tale is unpredictable without being depressing.

While there are other actors collecting a paycheck here, Mendelsohn and Reynolds own the road here. Mendelsohn, the ruffled feather of a character actor whose face you will know from films like Killing Them Softly and A Place Beyond The Pines, officially arrives in a leading role he has long deserved. With eyes carrying miles upon miles of sadness, the Aussie thespian makes you want to get to know him.

Reynolds easily gives his best performance to date and that’s saying something because he’s been good before. Here he settles into a role that fits all his abilities and pushes a few buttons audiences haven’t seen before. The fast talking comic maestro can fly back many roles on the seat of his charm but here he unveils a depth previously unreleased. You won’t be quick to trust Curtis and that’s because Reynolds snake eyes gaze keeps you guessing about where he truly comes from and his motives. It’s a real performance, similar to the one Fleck and Boden pulled from a yet unnoticed Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson.

Mississippi Grind does build to a huge final bet and while the climax is predictable, the resolution of the film is where is the cold center of a career gambler is revealed. The final few shots are just perfect. They leave you wanting more, having a will to spend a few more hours with these roughneck sinners who can’t quit the thrill.

It won’t win awards or be in theaters for long, but if you are needing a homemade batch of cinematic pleasure without the bells and whistles of a big budget showy flick, pay this movie’s tab and take it on for a stretch.

The Horror Auteur: Rest in peace Wes Craven

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“Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.”-Wes Craven

When I was a kid, I was convinced Freddy Krueger was going to get me in my dreams. Or at the very least, he was standing in my doorway waiting for me to hit the snooze button. I told my dad all the time. “Look at the door, dad, can you see him?” My loving father did what every other father on this earth did. He reassured me that there was nothing there. Right, dad. Thanks to Wes Craven, true horror like Freddy and other horror film gems kept me awake many nights.

Craven passed away on August 30th at the age of 76 after a battle with brain cancer. The master of horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street, The People Under The Stairs, Shocker, The Hills Have Eyes and Scream went quietly, at peace with his life and accomplishments.

What he left for film fans was a reminder of what true horror was all about. Forget all the modern wannabe auteurs of gruesome cinematic fare. Craven laid the blueprint on how to not only scare someone, but deposit a fear in their minds as they left the theater.

The worst thing you could do was watch a Craven film during a thunderstorm. You came out of the theater and had to check every way and path in the parking lot before you got in your car. Once inside, you checked the entire backseat. He made you drag that excitement from the theater into real life. Renegade creators can do that and it’s not easy. Most films can be enjoyed but easily detached from the brain once the lights come up and the outside world is reintroduced.

I remember watching Craven films with my dad and instead of asking him 70 questions on the way home, I asked a single easy one. “Is any of that real, dad?” He always had a good answer but man Craven made me think twice.

Craven’s first film was released in 1972 and it was called The Last House on the Left. He wrote and directed it a film about a pair of teenage girls who try to score drugs at a concert and get kidnapped and terrorized by a gang of psychos. In 1977, he directed The Hills Have Eyes but it wasn’t until 1984 that he introduced Krueger, the tortured badly burned man with knives for fingers who attacked young teens in their dreams. Earlier this year, Craven was still writing short films about Freddy’s carnage. Throughout an epic career, Freddy was his baby and rightly so. How can you escape a boogeyman who gets you in your dreams? Brilliant.

That kind of horror will live forever. It will scare your kids and their kids. Long after Robert England(the actor who brought Freddy Krueger to life) is gone, he will freak people out. That’s Craven’s legacy. Long lasting terror.

Rest in peace, Wes. Your mark on film will be felt for decades.

Ray Stevenson talks “Big Game” when it comes to movies

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When you hear the name Ray Stevenson, your mind may wander and think, “I know that guy, he’s the one in the..what is it?”It’s time to get familiar with the man’s work. Ray Stevenson is a face of film and an actor to look up, dig into and appreciate. He likes what he does. “I’m a lifer. I’m going to do this for as long as I can because I absolutely love it.” You don’t hear many actors speak with the ambition that Ray does.

Stevenson Big game 2Working for 22 years in Hollywood and making 46 different projects separated through TV and film, the 51 year old tall dark yet vulnerable screen presence has done it all. He’s fought alongside Clive Owen’s King Arthur, dished his take on Frank Castle’s Punisher, locked horns with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in G.I. Joe:Retaliation, and matched minds with Showtime’s Dexter and played Marcus in this year’s Insurgent.

Stevenson’s latest film, the adventurous Big Game, where he co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson, was a particularly special experience and I had a chance to speak with Ray about the shoot, Jackson and what the film’s experience brought him.

On Sam L. Jackson-“It was fantastic. He’s one of the most interesting and creative wonderful actors to work with. He’s one of the best working actors on this planet. I had the opportunity to meet him in London and tell him how blown away I was by his work in Django(Unchained, directed by Quentin Tarantino). He’s that good. The difference in his roles is amazing. Special human being.

Does Sam have some fun or is he serious? Not on this movie. If there was something happening on set, he’ll make you get it together. He’ll loves what he is doing. His film sense is amazing. Working with him face to face is an experience. He is a giving actor and it was great seeing him work with the young actor Onni Tommila as well. 

On the differences between big budget films and smaller budget films like Big Game-It has to work like a well oiled machine. It will run away if it is not prepped to the highest degree. The pre-shoots and storyboards are important and if not done right, the entire production can be rough. It comes down to the people involved making it a convenient shoot and just rolling with it.

On shooting in the great outdoors and its effect on the story-We shot in a wonderful place called Bevaria, in Germany. It’s got an old schoolStevenson Big game 3 feel about it and also epic scope about it. At the heart of the film is a story about a child’s rite of passage. A very inventive way to shoot and lovely location.

Stevenson’s biggest legion of fans in America know him as Titus Pullo in HBO’s short lived yet brilliant series, Rome. Playing the playful yet ferocious warrior giant ally to Kevin McKidd’s Vorenus, Stevenson forged a cornerstone character. The effect the character had on Stevenson is apparent and is still something he literally carries around with him. “I still wear the 13th legion ring around, the one that Pullo wore in the show. It brought me my recognition in the states and connected me to so many fans across the country. It’s something that should have went on and on, for at least seven seasons. However, there was a change in HBO’s programming management and it was cut short. While we dropped the ball in not keeping it going, it is a treasured experience I will always hold dear.”  

When asked about a possible movie version of Rome, Stevenson was clear. “Wow, I’d love it. I’d love to go off and do a story about Pullo and Vorenus.”

On his upcoming slate, Stevenson is bringing the heat in different venues. He’s finishing a TV mini series called Saints and Strangers, about the first year of Pilgrims in America. He co-stars in the reboot of The Transporter series with the new Frank Martin, Ed Skrein(stepping in for Jason Statham), Transporter Refueled. He plays Martin’s father, a man with a shadowy past to MI-6. He plays Blackbeard on the Starz series, Black Sails this fall. When it comes to film, Stevenson is indeed a lifer. Someone who will work until it stops coming and judging by Ray’s unique set of skills, that time won’t be coming anytime soon.

While Big Game will be known as a Samuel L. Jackson experience, it will be hard to keep your eyes off the menacing Stevenson.

A year later, I miss Robin Williams…a lot

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I miss Robin Williams, a lot, and I’ll tell you why.

There aren’t many actors who could transition seamlessly between comedy and drama. I am talking about inside the same movie, not separate projects. Inside one scene, Williams could go from smiling funny man to hyper serious monologue delivery guy and it was impressive. He cared about the films he did and the people he worked with. He was a 63 year old kid right down to the very end, which came a year ago in his home in California. After battling drug addiction, depression and a new foe in Parkinson’s Disease, Williams took his own life. He did this mere weeks after completing work on an indie drama called Boulevard, with director Dito Montiel. His loss stings a year later.

A month ago, Williams’ often forgotten political satire film, Man of the Year, came on during the morning. What was meant to be a 5 minute glance turned into a 90 minute sitdown with a film I came to admire through multiple viewings. It was about a comedian accidentally being voted President of the United States and the fallout from it. It had Lewis Black, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Linney. It wasn’t supposed to work. Williams made it work, with his signature blend of sarcastic comedy and sharp wit.

The best actors aren’t the ones who can mix into an All Star cast and shine. The best ones are the performers who can take an ordinary looking piece of crap and turn it into gold. Williams did with Man of the Year, which was directed by Barry Levinson. There weren’t many actors who could have played this role so well. I felt the same way about another critically maligned film, Patch Adams. It wasn’t supposed to work but Williams made it watchable. He was magnetic, an actor who had a desire to connect with his audience through any means necessary.

In the end, Williams will often be remembered for his work in three films and for good reason. 

1.) Good Morning, Vietnam

2.) Dead Poets Society

3.) Good Will Hunting

Sure, Mrs. Doubtfire can sneak in there but those three are the cornerstones of his long reaching career. He also dueled with Al Pacino in Christopher Nolan’s Alaska thriller, Insomnia. He played Teddy Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum films. He was The Fisher King. The voice of a genie in Aladdin. The doctor in Hugh Grant’s Nine Months. The outrageously funny host in The Birdcage.

When it came to Williams, diversity in the roles he took wasn’t just a factor in his career, it was a necessity. He aimed to try different things and thrill you in different ways. For the moviegoers who hate actors playing the same role over and over, Williams was the opposite. He challenged himself all the way down to the very end. The whole family could enjoy his work.

It’s just so sad that in the end, the actor felt a huge gushing pain in his own life so badly that he chose to end it. Close the curtain early. Stop the show. I wanted more and so did others. I didn’t lie awake at night waiting for another Williams gem, but I was confident in the way the actor could surprise me.

I’ll never forget his character sitting on that park bench, which has now become a memorial for fans, in Good Will Hunting. Looking at Matt Damon’s character Will and slowly healing the kid. I’ll never forget his character, Sean, telling Hunting about his late wife and how he ditched a World Series Boston Red Sox game to go “see about a girl”. That movie will play well for decades and Williams’ performance will always be the anchor in its genius.

Do yourself a favor tonight and watch a Williams film. Skip the sequel, reboot, remake, and latest horror adventure at the cinema and stay home. It doesn’t have to be a classic film from the Williams anthology. Jumanji(which ironically enough is getting a sequel soon) is a great family film. For a couple needing a quiet night of escapism, take a shot with Cadillac Man or Awakenings, both signature Williams gems. As is the case with anybody after they pass, instead of mourning them, celebrate their life and their work.

The best and most endearing thing about the movies is they never die and are accessible right next to you on your smart phone or neighborhood resting DVD player. Decades later, they are right there waiting to be watched.

While it is brutally sad Williams chose to exit stage left too early, his greatest hits will be with us forever. Take a couple hours tonight and spend it with Robin Williams. I guarantee he’ll make you laugh and cry all at once.

The Rock Returning for “Furious 8” is Vital to its success

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The Rock and great action films go together like coffee and donuts. Like pizza and breadsticks. Like salty potato chips and french onion dip. Dwayne Johnson’s presence as a beastly hero type is a huge chunk of the reason the Fast & Furious films were kicked up a notch when he decided to shit on Vin Diesel’s day in Fast Five. The news of Johnson returning for the eighth film is the first sign the movie may work as well as the previous three.

Think of that first confrontation between The Rock’s Agent Hobbs and Diesel’s Toretto back in 2011.

Hobbs: “You’re under arrest.”

Toretto:”That’s funny. I don’t feel under arrest.

Hobbs: I don’t give a shit. I’m just here to bring two assholes whose names hit my desk.”

For those of you who have been hanging out in too many stinky French theaters for the past decade, that’s hardcore macho man preemptive asskicking talk. The kind of words shared between two bald sweaty tight t-shirt wearing lions who aren’t going to back down. The Rock changed the franchise, giving it something the first four films had lacked. A true adversary for Diesel. Someone who could lock horns with him(sorry Rick Yune and John Ortiz but you two simply didn’t cut). Diesel couldn’t sneeze and knock out Johnson, and that created problems for our favorite family oriented group of criminals.

There was also the big fight. The clash of the titans, as Chris Ludacris Bridges called it during the promotional tour. The Rock and Diesel going toe to toe and beating the crap out of each other. This is the rare movie event where the hype was matched and maybe exceeded by the actual result. An extended three room battle between two big men. Diesel, a former nightclub bouncer in New York taking on the real life Hulk himself, the former wrestler/college football defensive lineman turned movie star war mammoth, Johnson. Dwayne may have tried to shed the label of the Rock at times, but it’s hard to do when you see how huge he has gotten since he filmed Faster a few years ago.

The beginning of the Rock’s movie career saw him carry his wrestling weight into the cinematic universe. After a little while, he decided to supersize the muscle build, putting on 25 pounds for the underseen and quite enjoyable Faster. Since then, he has redesigned how Under Armour makes their outerwear. His F/F wardrobe consists of black work pants and a large supply of UA shirts that bulge out like a huge rubber band stretching and bending with each curl from a bodybuilder at a gym.

Since the Rock showed up, fought Diesel, and eventually joined his team, the Fast/Furious films were taken to a whole other level. Critics started to take notice. The box office gross went up. When The Rock joins the party, the circus comes to town in a big way. He isn’t just another bald headed menace. He is a whole other dimension.

Remember when Diesel’s Toretto saved him after their fight in Fast Five? Which action film junkie could not? Gunfire, carnage and exploding cars all around Diesel as he walked across a street in a ridiculously clean white t-shirt, extending his meat hook arm down for a wounded Johnson to grab onto and run for cover. It was like a wrestling match tag team action packed induced orgasm for fans of the two guys. An orgasm without a cigarette in sight so all you could do was dry yourself off.

The last two films have seen the Rock and Diesel hook up in different parts of the world and save the day, with the seventh edition showing the entire crew say goodbye to the founding father of tough guy talk and nitroglycerin, Paul Walker. With the blonde haired gent’s passing, the group will soldier on and make more loud, over the top yet wildly enjoyable spring thrill rides. They wouldn’t be complete without the Rock kicking ass in extremely tight fitting sports shirts. It’s like baking a batch of cookies without greasing the pan first. It’s like making decaf coffee. A Fast and Furious 8 without The Rock Says covering the poster in fiery menace would be like passing up a chance to marinate a 20 ounce ribeye.

After Furious 7 grossed a lazy billion, Fast and Furious 8 will ride into theaters on April 14th, 2017. Get ready by revisiting Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Furious 7. Or you could just listen to the sound of a souped up Dodge Charger kick its horse legs out nearby.

The countdown to Bald Guy Mania has begun.

12 Things About the LEGO Documentary

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After The Lego Movie became the cool crossover kids/adults flick a couple years ago, all everybody could talk about was legos and how inventive and cool they were. The thing is, the toys have been a global phenomenon for years now and the documentary, A LEGO Brickumentary, tells the story of how they came to be and their infinite reach. While the documentary, directed by Daniel Junge and Kief Davidson with voice work from Jason Bateman, is cool and provides an introspective look into this world, it becomes a labored bore around the 45 minute mark. So if you don’t want to spend the seven dollars on Itunes or the money in theaters, here are 12 things I learned from this feature.

1. The toy originated in Denmark in 1916 and comes from the Danish phrase “lay well”. Started by a carpenter named Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen who built a wood shop to build toys. The Legos first came together in 1947 via a plastic molding machine. The Danish endeavor become a global phenomenon.

2. The key idea was a Lego system of play, which came from Kjeld’s son and was centered around “stud power”, the pieces that hold the blocks together. This system soon grew into mini figurines with the common goal, “How do I make this work?”

3. Theme sets such as play sets like pirate ships and space ships catapulted the company. Licensed themes like Star Wars and Harry Potter really launched the company even further.

4. The company, still in Denmark, produces 100,000 pieces a minute.

5. Designers can’t believe this is their job. “It’s like being a child the rest of my life.” They say the structures and ideas all start with a story, like a kid using his imagination to build.

6. Jamie Berard is one of the industry’s best designers. “How long can this last?” is something he utters to himself every day. He found his calling when he joined a group of hardcore builders he found in a store and got spotted by the creator himself. He got an internship at LEGO and has been one of its most respected builders ever since. He isn’t even 40 years old yet.

7. The directors of The LEGO Movie used a large model for their live action scenes with Will Ferrell and his son towards the end of the movie. The model took three months to assemble and a group of people called “master builders” did this. If the phrase sounds familiar, it comes from the constant theme in the movie, as Chris Pratt’s everyman Lego character is destined to be…wait for it..a master builder.

8. It’s therapeutic for people like NBA star Dwight Howard, musician Ed Sheeran and the South Park creators. Ellen DeGeneres once surprised Howard with a life sized Lego figurine of himself. When he is on the road playing, Howards’ assistants have several sets waiting for him when he arrives. For Trey Parker, putting together Lego toys is great because it’s all about following instructions and he doesn’t have to create.

9. You think Comic Con is cool and super popular? LEGO can play in that world too. Events such as Brickcon. Brickworld. Brickfair draw from hundreds of thousands from all around the world every year.

10. Delegation is a tool in this business. There are several groups for kid, teens and adults. Lego parts work like stocks. Supply and demand. Certain pieces cost cents and others dollars. Six bricks gives 915 million different options but the Lego system is an infinite universe. You don’t need a dictionary to play. Only a system and a language according to its builders.

11. Derby races and baseball stadiums are the new sensation. Large skyscrapers are fossils and amateur builds.
A rendering of Stephen Hawking went viral recently. Like the pieces themselves it’s a burgeoning world.

12. In 1999, the company’s stock and sales went down. When they got too easy to build, the desire lessened. The company got better by listening to the community and getting more interactive. Lego robots from an MIT professor put the company at a crosswords. They could have sued the company for rights but instead went with it. For once they were open to ideas outside of their building. LEGO architecture came from outside LEGO and according to one builder, created an energy instead of being a problem.

All of this from a humble carpenter in Denmark. The constant theme of LEGO is pushing the boundaries. Nothing is impossible. If you want people to know more about space, builders create models after objects you’d find in space. Everything in this world is built from something else. That’s the LEGO company. So many things can be built from a single toy.

Is this documentary a theater worthy adventure? No. Save it for home. LEGO fanatics will find it wonderful and casual observers may revel in the fact that a building as tall as them can be built in mere hours by a kid a quarter of their age. Some may find it boring, but everybody should digest the findings above. If you do partake on this adventure, you will build a newfound respect for this toy company.

Entourage The Movie is a waste of your time

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Entourage was a pure guilty pleasure for TV fans back in 2003 when it debuted on HBO. It was an escape for blue collar stiffs and wannabe dreamers who didn’t have the logistics, cajones or money to escape to LA and take a shot instead. Those 26 minute episodes every Sunday were like crack for the rich and famous nerds like myself.

At its best, Creator Doug Ellin’s High Life seminar gave people a sly behind the scenes spill of how movie stars really act, how nutty directors really are and how aggressive agents wanted to be sharks. It was irresistible. Every time the credits hit, you wanted more and more. The TV show ran its usual course, playing out like a party in Hollywood Hills. Exotically hip and vibrant for 3-4 seasons before dying off a slow retread filled life for the last 3-4 seasons.

Every TV show overstays its welcome. It’s just a matter of how long they beg to sleep over before you want them out of the house. Entourage the movie, released four years after the show closed its doors on HBO, didn’t need to happen and feels old. It’s like the boys from Queens got lonely, needed a place to crash again, and your wallets are the only place in town with a light on. I wonder if HBO said no or just didn’t pick up the phone for this bros first soap opera. (more…)

Paul Rudd makes light “Ant-Man” tick

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Scott-Lang-Paul-Rudd-Steals-Ant-ManCinema’s first truly family friendly superhero is super tiny, and his name is Scott. If there is one clear reason why Marvel’s latest cinematic party guest Ant-Manworks, it’s the presence of Paul Rudd, the easy to like comedy star next door.

He’s relatable. While it’s highly unlikely you’ll run into Thor or Iron Man in a grocery store, you might bump into a guy like Rudd. His ability to slip into Scott Lang’s skin makes this light as a feather summer delight go down smooth if not blow people away.

The setup is easy to get comfortable with. Lang is a thief who can’t stay out of trouble and comes into the sight of Dr. Hank Pym(Michael Douglas), a man who may know a thing or two about shrinking a man down to the size of an ant to fight crime. When Pym’s deranged protege tries to sell the science to Hydra(remember those bad dudes from Captain America: Winter Soldier), Pym calls on the ordinary Scott to help him save the day. Our hero also has a daughter he wants to see more. It’s all familiar so just roll with it. (more…)