Tuesday's With Movies: 11/30/10

Coming a bit late due to a pretty busy couple of days for me, but here is the DVD releases for this week - the last of November.

Twilight: Eclipse: I have watched each of the first two Twilight films. But, I have only watched each of them once. My sister and Mrs. Kano have become pretty large fans of this saga - so I naturally will watch the film with my wife for my one (and usually only) viewing. I am not sure what it is, but I have not gravitated toward Twilight like I did with Harry Potter. Maybe its Robert Pattinson or that Cheaper by the Dozen kid with the abs. Because, I somewhat enjoy Kristen Stewart - more in other films though. Either way, yes I will be watching this - at least once.

Vampire's Suck: Oh, you know it was only a matter of time until someone out there began poking fun at the sudden rage that has become vampires. I have to admit that I was a pretty large fan of the original Scary Movie and I can definitely find the humor in parodies - but the last handful (maybe even a dozen) have been pretty horrible. This will probably provide much of the same and I will most likely not be checking this one out.



Sorcerer's Apprentice: I was not too sure about this one when it first came out, but I have to admit it looks like it might be, at the very least, entertaining. I feel Jay Baruchel is a pretty likable guy - and from what I have heard/read Nic Cage is a good form of his crazy self in this setting. So, I am definitely going to be checking this one out - in fact it is on its way from Netflix as I type this.




Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: I never got into the whole Fantasia thing when I was growing up. I guess its the type of film that you either love or you hate and I have always found myself on the hate side. Yes, it is a great piece of work and to go with the move above it - The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a great piece of the film. I haven't seen it in a very long time - so perhaps with maturity and the understanding of classical music I will give it another shot. Due to my hatred for the original I have not seen the second one, but will be checking them both out in this combo pack.

Knight and Day: I have heard both good and bad about this film. I will definitely be giving it a look over to form my own opinion. I can both take or leave both of the film's stars, as I have enjoyed Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz - I also have had moments where it is very hard to take them. This looks to be the better action film that appears to be carbon copies of the other - Killers - released this summer. I have not seen either yet, but I will see just how close they are to each other. I bet this one will win.

Smucker's Stars on Ice

I hate snow and ice. And for someone that lives as close to Cananda as an American can without actually being Canadian, that says something.

I am a basketball player and I despise hockey. In fact, any sport that actually requires you to be cold during it makes no sense to me. Which is why the up coming blog really makes no sense - because for some reason I enjoy figure skating.

It could be because during my teenage years I had a huge (ok, stalkerish) crush on Tara Lipinski. That has sort of faded away, mostly because she sort of faded away. Then came Sasha Cohen, who is also very cute.

That, and my wife used to be a figure skater, and I guess I have a thing for figure skaters.

Saturday night was the opening night of the 25th Anniversary of Smucker's Stars on Ice and it did not disappoint.

The show stars Sasha Cohen and Evan Lysacek - but honestly the stars of the show for me were the pairs team from Canada - Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. They put on an absolutely amazing show together, that was really the best part of the show.

The rest of the skaters were Kurt Browning, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Michael Weiss, Joannie Rochette, and pairs team Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.

All skaters were amazing, but I have to admit that when they went slow music and tried to be all artsy - it fell sort of flat for me. When they played the upbeat music and got everyone involved the show was really spectacular.

They are off until February, I believe, but if they are coming your way try to check it out. The show they put on Saturday will be on television for NBC in January, so check your listings.

Who? What? Where? #1

I have been sort of jealous that so many of my fellow bloggers have created these fun games to play each and every week. I have been thinking pretty hard about creating one of my own - but never could come up with anything substantial.

So I thought, why try so hard? This is a pretty simple game that could end up being hard at times.

The concept is simple: each week I will place a photograph of a character within a film. It is up to you (the participant in the game) to tell me the following:

1) The name of the actor (or what the actor goes by in his acting profession).

2) The name of the character in the movie.

3) And, the name of the movie.

Each correct answer gets you a point - so if you get all three correct on a given week, you can get three points. I will keep a running chart each and every week. As of now, this will be played for bragging rights only - but we shall see what the future holds.

I will do my absolute best to have a new post for this game each and every Wednesday.

Our first game gets underway now:

Tuesday's With Movies: 11/23/10

It's that time of the week again. Time for DVD release Tuesday.

Not that great a selection this week, but actually some movies I am interested in seeing.

The Expendables: I don't care how stupid this film is going to be, or how horrible the dialogue is going to be. This has my name written all over it. I wanted to see it in the theater, but of course didn't get a chance to. It has all of the action stars of the past 20-30 years packed into one film. So, of course I am going to be entertained. It is missing The Rock, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris - but the one's they did get should make up for their loss. Even a cameo by the Governator himself.


Eat. Pray. Love.: Absolutely zero interest in seeing this, except Mrs. Kano has added it to the Netflix queue and it is on its way. So, I will probably be checking it out at some point. Just has a lot going against it for me - the biggest being it stars Julia Roberts, who have grown to hate (OK, hate is a strong word - dislike) over the years. Also along from the ride is the Gerard Butler-Jeffrey Dean Morgan hybrid that is Javier Bardem. Apparently this was a famous book - and from what I have heard it didn't do the book justice in the theater. Either way, I didn't read the book, but I guess I will be checking this one out. Maybe.

Beauty & The Beast (Two-Disc Diamond Collection): Apparently Disney is opening the Vault once again to re-release Beauty & The Beast for what I believe is the third time. Funny how movies like Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Rescuers Down Under still haven't received a proper DVD release yet, but this has been released three times. Don't get me wrong, Beauty & The Beast is wonderful, and if you don't have it I suggest picking this up - but I do believe there is a bit of an overkill going on here. I am still trying to get the other Disney films on DVD that have yet to be released. Time to pick up the pace Disney.

The Situation Workout: Come On! You all know you want this. You have to have it. It's the gift that keeps on giving. This is what you all should be thankful for this Thanksgiving and you know it. Enjoy!

Tuesday's With Movies: 11/16/10

NOTE: This was written for yesterday, but for some reason it did not post.

As I said on the Facebook page, I have decided to start a new running feature on here. A lot of people put their new movie releases and some comments up for the Friday releases of new movies. Well, as I have said in the past, I do not get out to the movies in the theater - so my new releases are actually Tuesday on DVD. So here it goes.

Avatar (3-Disc Collector's Edition): OK, I have the regular Avatar film that was released a few months back. I really want to see it and I have not found the time (it's pretty long) to watch it yet. I will not e purchasing this new 3-disc collection, however. I hate how they release DVDs and then re-release it with more content.





Disney's A Christmas Carol: Wow, I almost completely forgot about this film. I was not really excited about it when it came out last year - but since Christmas is right around the corner and my son has already started watching Christmas movies I am probably going to be getting this one. And kudos to people releasing this movie - waiting an entire year to release a movie on DVD never happens anymore - and I think it may have worked.



The Last Airbender: I so hope that M. Night gets his act together soon. I really enjoyed Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. And, I totally didn't hate Signs. But, his last few films have just been stinkers and from what I have heard about this one - he may have hit rock bottom. I have zero interest in seeing this - not only because people have said it was horrible, but I really don't know much about the actual story anyway. So, this is a no chance for me.



The Kids are All Right: This looks really good. I have heard nothing but great things about this film. Quick rundown: a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Benning) gets artificially inseminated by the same donor for their two children. The children get interested and track him down and he (Mark Ruffalo) is introduced into the family. Looks very good and I have to say that Ruffalo is becoming one of my favorite actors - he just selects great roles and knocks them out of the park.



Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore: Um.....no. Even with a small child and having four cats and a dog of my own (one cat of which looks exactly like one of the cats in the film) I have zero interest in seeing this. Something about the first movie (possibly Jeff Goldblum or the fact that I saw it on cable) had me interested in seeing it - this one has shown me absolutely nothing that has interested me. Thank goodness my son really doesn't get to pick out the movies we get.

Remember This?

For some reason this show has been in my head for awhile, but I couldn't remember the name of it. Well, I finally found it.

Does anyone else remember this show?

Fall Television

Even though it doesn't appear that many people are stopping by here much anymore - and I suppose that is my fault for my posts being few and far between - I am going to do my best to get something rolling on here again. Hopefully, the people will return.

So, the new Fall television lineup has been on for nearly two months now and with each new season comes the very difficult decision to select a few new shows to start watching.

This is a difficult process. There are many factors that have to be met. For instance, does it fit into our current show watching lineup? Does it look somewhat intriguing? Does it have staying power?

The last question is always the hardest to judge. I have been burned before by the networks. We have selected a show to watch, enjoyed that show and then watched the network yank it right off the air.

Luckily, this season I didn't get swayed by any FlashForward-type shows - the type of show that really needs to be on the air for more than one season to truly answer those longing questions that it has created.

That being said, Mrs. Kano and I did select a quartet of new shows that - knock on wood - have all been picked up for an entire season. So, at least we will have them for that length of time.

I will start off with the comedies:


Mike & Molly: Mike (Bill Gardell) is a Chicago police officer, who also happens to be an over eater. He meets Molly (Melissa McCarthy), a fourth grade teacher, at an Over Eaters Anonymous meeting and the two really hit it off. The show is about finding love and breaking through the issues that society has placed upon heavier people. The show takes shots at both characters due to their girth, but I don't feel it goes too far. Each character has some sidekicks which is where most of the comedy comes from. Mike's sidekicks are his partner Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson) and their waiter at their favorite cafe, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi). Molly's come in the form of her sister, Victoria (Katy Mixon) and her mother, Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz). I would say this is a pretty solid comedy, but I can't put it anywhere near the top where Community and Big Bang Theory preside. But, it's a nice watch with at least a couple laugh out loud moments per episode.


Shit My Dad Says: Henry (Jonathan Sadowski) has just lost his job and is forced to move in with his father, Ed (William Shatner). Unfortunately, Ed is the type of father that has always had things his way and refuses to bend at all - he is also the type of person that says whatever is on his mind, no matter who it might hurt or offend. Henry's brother, Vince (Will Sasso) and his wife, Bonnie (Nicole Sullivan), leave close by and are over to the house a lot. This show is based off of the book, which itself was based on the popular twitter feed. I feel that Mike & Molly is a little bit better than this comedy, although this one can still have its moments. I am not that huge a fan of the actor that portrays Henry and honestly I feel that the Vince and Bonnie characters have far more interesting things to say and do. They really raise the level of this show.

As for the dramas:


Hawaii 5-0: I wasn't planning on watching this, but I had heard such great things so I gave it a shot and I actually really enjoy it. CBS has given Alex O'Loughlin his third shot at a television series and I think it might have finally pulled off. Here he stars as Steve McGarrett, a former Naval officer that is given the run of the island and its resources by the governor. He chose Danny Williams (Scott Caan), a new to the island cop from NY, as his partner. Also in their gang is Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park). I never saw the original series so this is all new to me, and it is pretty fun. Show is set up like a crime drama with a lot of action and quite a few jokes thrown in as well.


The Defenders: Another that I had no intentions of watching, but it also sucked me in and I think it may be my favorite of the new shows. Nick Morelli (Jim Belushi) and Pete Kaczmarek (Jerry O'Connell) are defense lawyers in Sin City. Much like most law shows, each week one or both of them is defending someone and they have to find a way to get them off or get the best possible outcome. They also have a young, up and coming lawyer Lisa Tyler (Jurnee Smollett) to help them out (you may remember Ms. Smollett as Michelle Tanner's friend in Full House). I was definitely frightened by this show fitting into my questions from above. Belushi is coming off a long run on According to Jim that everyone appeared to hate and O'Connell has had terrible luck with shows as of late - so I was afraid no one would tune in. But, so far, it looks promising. And, like I said, this one may be the best of these new shows.