Conan O' Brien Can't Stop

 

In June of 2009 Conan O' Brien became the new host of the longest running franchise in history, The Tonight Show. Seven months later he departed from the show. His reason for leaving was simple; Jay Leno's new post-retirement show was being bumped into his time slot and The Tonight Showfor the first time ever would air at 12:05AM the following day. Conan refused to be the first host of the tonight show to host it the day after. Subsequently Conan left with a large settlement and Leno returned his huge ass chin to The Tonight Show.

As part of the agreement made with NBC in his settlement, Conan was prohibited from appearing on tv and radio in any capacity for the following six months. The decision to do a nation wide tour was first announce on his twitter account in March of 2010, the tour was to be called "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour". Following the exploits and the behind the scenes of the tour was documentary filmmaker Rodman Flender. The documentary Conan O' Brien Can't Stop shows a side of Conan the publics never seen. Behind all the funny impressions and silly jokes on tv there's a real person who was burned badly by his own peers, whom he respected and worked with for over 15 years.

Following Conan on his tour and giveing perspective to who he really is was actually a lot funnier than I'd expected. He can be an asshole just like the rest of us, but unlike most people he really is that one guy that'll do anything for anyone. Getting the uncensored Conan was a refreshing  take on his persona. Jokes involving everything from his backup singers to the ridiculous groupie fans he encounters were crude and unexpected, but so damn funny it made being an asshole look like a good time.

The film follows Conan on his journey back to center stage. In between the segments involving the tour was Conans home life and the relationship with his friends and writers. By the end of the tour he's physically and mentally exhausted, but it's clear he's come full circle. Only weeks after ending his tour he began work on his new show, Conan for TBS.

For long time fans of CoCo this film is a must see. Watching Conan in his truest raw form uncensored by television is the funniest I've ever seen him. Even casual fans and people only mildly familiar with him should be able to enjoy the ride just as much if not more. Unlike most documentaries, it never slows down or gets boring, the pace is fast moving but covers everything it set out to do. Most importantly giving the fans what they want, Conan doing what he does best, entertaining.

Green Lantern

This film marks the first time the character's ever graced the big screen before, brought to life here by Ryan Reynolds. The film as I'm sure you're aware has been plagued with delays, shitty rumours, and a down right awful marketing campaign from the start. Luckily for Warner Bros and DC they seem to have actually delivered the end result they were aiming for. I can't say I was ever really a fan of the character before, aside from the direct to video animated releases, and I've never actually read a Green Lantern comic; so my opinion on the film is as unbiased and objectively viewed as it gets.

Ryan Reynolds casting as Hal Jordan the arrogant and cocky Air Force test pilot was as spot on as Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. Similar to Reynolds previous roles he brings his sarcastic wit and charm, only this time he's also given a few brief moments to showcase his acting ability, he doesn't disappoint. Blake Lively as Carol Farris, Hal's love interest, felt like the most indispensable role of the film. They could have done with out the character or Lively and not had to change any serious element of the plot. Peter Sarsgaard's portrayal of Dr. Hector Hammond the main villain was both menacing and sadistic. Even Mark Strong who's screen time didn't seem nearly long enough was fantastic as the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro.

The film starts off right away by assuming the audience isn't at all aware of the Green Lantern mythology and in turn gives a breif narrated back story to get the ball rolling. For those unfamiliar like I for the most part was as well; The Green Lanterns rings were created by an ancient mortal alien race known as the guardians. The rings were sent out to seek a Lantern in each corner of the universe to protect their individual sector or galaxy. They were forged by the power of will, and it's the will power of each lantern that grants them their abilities. Alternatively The guardians also attempted to harness the power of fear, there efforts turned unsuccesful when they realized the power could only be used for evil doing, thus giving us our main antagonist.

The opening sequence has the space ship of Abin Sur, a purple humanoid alien Lantern', being attacked. The trailer really did no justice to this action sequence at all. Sur really is one bad motherfucker, I'm sure he even has that stitched onto his wallet. We also get our first look at the power possessed by the rings as Sur fights off the invading force, only to be cornered into an escape pod. After crash landing on earth he allows the ring to seek out and find his predecessor, Hal Jordan, the first and at this point only human Lantern. Unlike the promotional images released early on the suit actually looks amazing on screen.

Without giving too much of the film away or spoiling any of the surprises, Green Lantern serves very much as a launching pad for the character; this is definitely an origin story, but much like Batman Begins it works quite well. The special effects and cinematography were well beyond what I'd expected going in, although aside from a few key scenes the 3D was used entirely as a gimmick. In the action sequences it was kinda fun to watch, getting the extra depth and scope of 3D, but for the dialogue scenes and everything in between it was distracting as hell. Regardless of what you may have also heard or even assumed the plot and the tone aren't at all as campy or cheesy as you may of thought. Martin Campbell did a great job at taking the source material a lot more serious than I think anyone expected.

I would also suggest staying until after the intial credits end for a special surprise.

The Tree of Life

Terrance Malick’s The Tree of Life is one of the most intellectual and visually appealing films to be released in the last decade.  The film spans from the dawn of creation and the dinosaur ages to 1950s Texas. The core element of the plot is the comparison between the relationship a father has with his son and the relationship between God and Mankind.

The film opens with a biblical passage from Job 35:4

I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.

Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.

If thou sinnest, what does thou against him? Or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

Even opening with a passage from the bible it didn’t really solidify the films belief in Christianity. The inclusion of evolution and dinosaurs alone contradicted the religious elements but lent them self so well at the same time. The plot did jump around a lot, but it’s really wasn’t all that hard to follow.

Brad Pitt is amazing in his role as a 1950s family man struggling to reach his true feelings for his son. However Sean Penn on the other seemed damn near useless as the grown version of Pitt`s son. The films spends half its time in flashbacks during Penn’s characters childhood, exploring his relationship with his father which is intended to parallel the relationship between God and mankind. Although it may seem like a large pill to swallow, the general concept gets itself across fairly easily

It’s not until part way through that things become slightly convoluted and oddly out of place when nearly 40 minutes is spent exploring the beginning of time in the universe and life on earth. The pacing and continuity in the plot at this point are all over the place, but the cinematography and score are so brilliantly put together you could care less if the plot works as one cohesive whole from beginning to end.

Although it may not be the next big superhero blockbuster or the mind bending sci-fi thriller of the summer, the film doesn’t try to be. Malick doesn’t appear to be aiming the film towards the audience that wants to turn their brain off in order to enjoy giant fighting robots and explosions. He would rather give you his magnificent looking take on evolution, religion and life here on earth from the dawn of creation and it’s comparison to a simple family in 1950s Texas. More or less it felt as though the film did come full circle, but for most people it’ll be harder to comprehend then if it were spelled out for them like all too many films tend to do. 

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

With the theatrical release of the live action Green Lantern just over a week away Warner Bros is holding fans off with their latest animated release Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

Unlike it's live action counter part and the previously released animated film Green Lantern: First Flight, Emerald Knights doesn't exactly star the first human lantern Hal Jordan, he does however serve as narrator through out. Similar to Batman: Gotham Knight the film consists of several short stories about the Green Lantern Corps told by Jordan and his mentor Sinestro. Also like Gotham Knight each individual tale is directed and written by different groups, thankfully though the continuity in the animation stays consistent throughout.

The plot kicks off with Hal Jordan taking new Lantern recruit Arisia under his wing as Oa is about to come under attack by a scorned former lantern. While preparing for the battle Hal shares stories of his fellow Lanterns and how they came to join the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps.

In the first story we learn how the guardians of Oa came to the decision to create the Green Lantern rings and how they decided who would should be bestowed with the honor of wearing them. There were originally four Lanterns chosen, and it wasn't until after their first victorious battle that they or the guardians realized the true potential for the rings. They formed the Green Lantern corps and trained future recruits in order to defend there own sectors using the will powered ring constructs they imagined while in a conflict.

Each story there after serves purpose in introducing the core members of the corps and solidifying their position. The most interesting being Laira's origins. She was forced to face off against her own family which ruled the home planet she'd come from. They'd become a hostile force in her sector and she was forced to overcome unimaginable odds in order to keep the peace. The next best would be Sinestro giving the new recruit the run down on Abin Sur the lantern who's ring chose Hal Jordan after his demise. In Sinestro's story we get a quick glimpse at the evil Yellow Lantern Sinestro and his corps. What worked well was the continuity between Emerald Knights and First Flight, and also setting the animated films up for another sequel.

What worked best were the entertaining segments and the continuity in animation. The only down fall was the animation didn't seem as crisp as some of the previous releases. The plot wasn't the most intricate or even the best of the animated films, but Emerald Knights is still definitely worth checking out. I wouldn't consider myself an avid fan of the character or mythos and I thought it was a lot of fun.

The special features on the blu ray were actually some of the coolest I've seen yet. There's a sneak peak at the making of Batman Year One in there as well, which looks pretty damn awesome itself.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Full disclosure:  I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  The first movie was a pleasant surprise and probably one of my favorite action/adventure movies of the last decade.  I enjoyed the two sequels even though they were admittedly a bloated, convoluted mess.  What can I say?  The action scenes are always a blast, At Worlds End had what was probably my favorite movie wedding of all time, and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack always cracks me up.  They're just fun.  I even have the Pirates mouse ears from Disney World.  So I love the Pirates franchise, and I make no apologies for it.

Now I wasn't sure we needed a fourth movie, but at the conclusion of the last film I was hoping we'd get a Jack/Barbossa film without all the other nonsense bogging down the proceedings like the previous two sequels had.  With On Stranger Tides, we kinda got that, and it was surprisingly good -  it's much better than the dreadful reviews I'd heard about going in. 

As promised in the final scenes of At Worlds End, the new Pirates adventure is about the search for the Fountain of Youth.  Captain Jack, still without a ship or a crew, is ordered by the King of England to help Captain Barbossa (now a peg-legged royal after mysteriously losing the Black Pearl) find the Fountain before the Spaniards do.  Of course, Jack quickly escapes, but he just as quickly ends up in the clutches of the evil Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who are also searching for the Fountain on their zombie-infested ship.  Making matters worse for Jack, it turns out Angelica is one of his spurned past-loves, and needless to say, she's not happy with him.

Wow.  I actually managed to explain the plot of a Pirates movie in one paragraph.  There's an improvement to the series right there.

For the most part, this new and improved Pirates works.  The story was fairly simple to understand, and while new director Rob Marshall's action sequences didn't quite have the epic scale of Gore Verbinski's films, they were still pretty damn good.  It had lots and lots of sword fights, which I loved.

I did see it in 3D.  You don't need to.  Outside of some swords coming right at you in a few shots, you don't even notice it for the most part.  It wasn't as useless as the 3D in Thor, but disappointing nonetheless.  I love 3D when it's done well, but I can't wait until they stop slapping it on everything.

As far as villians, what On Stranger Tides no longer has in Davy Jones it makes up for in the awesomeness of Ian McShane as Blackbeard, who is as great as he usually is in any role.  Penelope Cruz was also a decent addition as Angelica, who seems just as devious as Jack, which almost makes them a perfect pair.  Geoffrey Rush just seems to love hamming it up as Barbossa - I would have loved to have seen more interaction between him and Jack.

Former Pirates couple Will and Elizabeth are unnoticably absent from the new film, and their replacement couple, missionary Phillip and mermaid Syrena don't add much.  In fact, I can't even figure out what the point of either of those characters were.  But the mermaids themselves are quite cool, and provide one of the best and creepiest sequences in the film.

I did miss a few of the characters from the previous films, such as pirate BFFs Pintel and Ragetti and the two British guard dolts that Jack is always getting into verbal confrontations with.  Maybe they're still with the Black Pearl, which appears to be alive and well?  I hope so.

I would put On Stranger Tides as my second favorite film in the series behind the first film.  It's definitely better than the two sequels, and if left me hoping for the first time that maybe we might get a fifth film.  Looking at the opening weekend numbers, its star might fading a bit in the US, but it's still doing gangbusters overseas...so we may just get one.  And I would be fine with that.