Rated PG-13 – 1h39

Reviewed 5.28.09

When it comes to horror movies, they don’t get much better than Drag Me To Hell.

Not only does the film deliver on its promise, it delivers scares with camp, wit and style. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is a loan officer who has a good job, a great boyfriend (Justin Long), and a bright future. In her job, she refuses to help a woman with a loan extension. The woman curses her, so in three days, Christine is going to hell.

I think we’ve long been inundated with the idea that horror movies have to involve a serial murder hunting sexy teens in the forest. Director Sam Raimi has completed the task of scary-fun-entertainment. Sc-fun-ment if you will.

We see an enticing mix of comedy and horror here. For every time something jumps out at you, you are rewarded with an equally silly moment to calm your nerves back down.

Another treat is the how the film technically looks. In a car scene, we’re expecting someone to pop up in the back seat of the car. We know it’s going to happen, and when we see it happening, it’s not scary until the director lets it be.

Bottom line is this was a fun movie experience. With the PG-13 rating this can and should be seen by a larger audience because it’s a good example of what a good scary movie can be.

How can we miss you when you won’t go away Jay?  Leno does his final Tonight Show this evening with a promised surprise ending. Hopefully its a chin reduction surgery.

The thing is, we’re not getting rid of him, so why is this such a momemtus occasion?  Sure, its the changing of the guard at the Tonight Show, but Leno was never as huge as his predecessor.

So, where does this rank on the list of biggest TV events?  Somewhere below Marsha Brady getting a football in the nose and above Fonzie jumping the shark.  Bring on the Conan.

In the meantime, enjoy Billy Crystal making fun of Leno.

Billy Crystal on Leno

The real question is did AT&T help Kris Allen beat Adam Lambert on American Idol?

AT&T provided phones for free text messages at viewing parties in Allen’s home state of Arkansas but not at parties for Lambert supporters. Some at Allen’s parties were also instructed on how to send multiple text messages at the press of one button.

AT&T is an Idol sponsor and was the only network on which you could text in votes. The Fox Network stands by its decision calling the vote fair and accurate.

Ok…that sounds fishy…but really how many people in a room could have swayed the vote.  I’m the first to start thinking conspiracy theory…but this story seems like small potatoes.

Rated PG-13 – 2h10

Reviewed 5.22.09

I can appreciate what they were trying to do with the latest Terminator movie, but it didn’t work for me. Recovery specialist Christian Bale brought new life to the Batman franchise, but with a similarly dark presence, he didn’t do the new Terminator justice.

Set in 2018, Bale plays John Connor, the son of Sarah Connor (the original Terminator girl) and the unofficial leader of a resistance movement against the supercomputer Skynet and its army of Terminators. They’re bent on eliminating humans. I think Skynet’s gripe is because humans are inefficient…and possibly because Skynet was given some government bailout money and didn’t want to pay it back.

Maybe that second part wasn’t true, but what is true is that post-apocalyptic movies should be overburdened with a sense of dread and a little touch of hope for the future. Terminator Salvation clues us that there will be some hope, but this played out more like an action movie than a “little guy” uprising against the “big guy.”

I understand why Bale freaked out on the set. He’s extremely intense in this movie. He probably freaked out at everyone, but we only heard about the one screaming match with his photography guy.

Also a downer, the great reveal in the movie was something any Terminator fan already knows. We know the machines have skin and blood in an attempt to infiltrate humans. We saw that in the original movie. What was the big surprise?

I think part of my problem with this movie was the direction of a guy named McG (Mick-Gee.) He’s the one responsible for the Charlie’s Angels movies and TV’s The O.C. and Chuck. Not much depth in any of them = me bored watching them.

Oh yeah. Does John Connor really have to say “I’ll be back?” That’s a deal breaker.

Man, what a tragic story about Mike Tyson and his 4-year old daughter.   Officials say Exodus Tyson died Tuesday after she was on life support. She apparently got her neck wrapped in a treadmill power cord while at home on Monday.

That’s such a freak accident and you have to feel sorry.

No matter what you think of Tyson, that’s something you’d never wish on your worst enemy.  He’s a guy that has had a shadow cast over his career, but according to what we’ve seen in the new ‘Tyson” documentary, he’s a rather complex guy, and is highly regarded amongst his friends.

Our thoughts are with him.

The season premiere of Jon & Kate Plus 8 was last night.  I’ve never watched the show, but man have the tabloids blown up the extramarital affair.

Think of it this way.  The guy is potent enough to have fathered eight babies.  Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that he’s on some major testosterone freak out and decided to go outside the marriage to single-handedly populate the country.

Not that I’m justifying the cheater.  Dude.  That’s not cool.  You’re a baby daddy times eight, so you gotta take care of business first.  And when we say “take care of business,” Jon…you got a lot of business to take care of.

Wal Mart says they won’t sell Green Day’s new CD because it has some naughty words in it.  They offered to sell a censored copy, but come on what’s the point?

Honestly, would anyone have watched Pulp Fiction if it had bleeps in it?  Would anyone buy a Snoop Dogg CD if he wasn’t allowed to say snizzle?  Would you buy a pack of M&M’s if they took all the red ones out?

Stepping off my soapbox now, but really.  Can’t we at least have the option to buy it?

Check out what Green Day said on the Colbert Report.

Green Day -Colbert Report

Adam Lambert got dissed and Kris Allen took home the big prize on American Idol last night.

While that was a bit shocking, it was mild in comparision to how far a hot looking girl in a bikini can make it.  “Bikini Girl” was invited back on for the finale and she proved why she didn’t even come close to qualifying for the show.  Still…it was a hot girl in a bikini.

Here’s the guys being buddy-buddy before Lambert had his heart ripped from his chest cavity.

Or…is that what he wanted.  Lambert now doesn’t have to abide by any Idol contracts.  Me thinks that what he wanted in the first place.  Now, we can all wait until early September when the top 10 come to Madison.

The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here. American Idol finals are tonight and tomorrow night. The excitement is being felt across the world.

You be hard pressed to find anyone, anywhere at anytime that isn’t paying attention to the fact that after Wednesday’s finals show…. we don’t have to hear about American Idol for another seven months!

I was hoping that the Sanjaya meltdown last year would bring an unholy end to the show, but somehow it lives on. Its kind of like a rash on your butt. Just when you thought it went away, it comes back and spreads further than you wanted.

Oh, well. Best of luck to….I don’t know…let Lambert win it. I’m not paying attention anymore.

There’s a new survey out that say we’re cutting back on a lot of things in the sucky economy, but not everything.

So called recession proof items include chocolate and running shoes.  Hmmm…anyone see the irony there?

We also refuse to give up alcohol (yeah!), wine specifically, condoms laxatives, and heart burn medication.  Dude!  What kind of party is that, and why didn’t I get invited!!!!

Looks like our future includes binging on chocolate while running, drinking booze, having protected sex and then recovering with some Pepto Bismal.   What a bright future indeed.