Disappearing Funds
The Coen brothers can do no wrong. Meanwhile, why the hell aren't you watching "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"?
Movies: Righteous Kill vs. Burn After Reading
A slightly different take on the buddy-cop movie hits theaters this week. Righteous Kill stars Hollywood legends Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino as two veteran New York detectives who are on the trail of a vigilante serial killer. When the two detectives, who should be ready for retirement, are called to investigate the murder of a pimp, things get interesting. Subsequent murders all are accompanied by a short poem that justifies the killing. Oh, and all of the victims are criminals that weren’t punished by the justice system. Actually, I think that I’ve seen this movie before…in 1999 when it was called Boondock Saints.
Not content to take a break after their Academy Award winning opus, No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers are taking a lighter tone with their latest film. Burn After Reading is the story of two pretty stupid gym employees who, after finding the memoir of an ousted CIA agent, decide to attempt to sell the memoir to the highest bidder. The film stars Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and George Clooney. Given the Coen brothers’ past work, expect nothing short of brilliance. These guys can do drama, they can do suspense, and they can damn sure do comedy.
The Edge: Burn After Reading. While I’m sure that watching geriatric cops track down a serial killer would be fun, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the Coen brothers will deliver pure cinematic gold.
DVDs: Baby Mama vs. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3
Kate is a single, career minded woman who has decided that she wants something more. The problem is that she can’t get pregnant. So she hires Angie to be her surrogate. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler team up for Baby Mama, which those of us who haven’t seen it can only hope will be funnier than SNL’s Weekend Update was during their tenure. Plot-wise, think The Odd Couple but instead of guys, it’s two women…and one of the women is paying the other woman to have a baby for her. DVD features include deleted scenes, commentary and something called Saturday Night Live: Legacy of Laughter, which I can only guess is an explanation of why SNL has sucked for the past 15 years or so.
One of the funniest shows on television that doesn’t get much attention is going into its fourth season, and season three comes out this week. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia airs on FX, which may explain the lack of public attention. That aside, the show is damn funny. For the uninitiated, the show is a dark comedy, with episodes focusing on four friends who run a bar in Philly. Oh, and Danny DeVito is the father of a couple of them. Episodes in the first couple seasons have seen the gang get addicted to crack in order to receive welfare benefits, using a water stain on the wall to make money off of religious people and turning the bar into a place where under-age kids can come to drink. Special features include commentary, a gag reel and more.
The Edge: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3. Fewer special features here, but three discs and fifteen episodes will keep you laughing a lot longer than Baby Mama.
Games: NHL 09 (Multiple)
The NHL is one of the few remaining sports that haven’t gone to one exclusive game developer. The resulting competition between EA Sports and 2k Sports has definitely caused an increase in quality.
EA’s perennial offering is NHL 09. Most of the time, sports games are relatively identical from year to year with the exception of updated rosters. For games like Madden and Major League Baseball, it’s true. Yes, there are minor tweaks from year to year but the overall experience is the same. EA has done everything they can in recent years to turn their hockey games into the most realistic experience possible. Controls have shifted and AI has been made much more realistic as well. This year sees the addition of Be A Pro mode where gamers can create a player and hit the ice as a minor league scrub and possibly work their way up to NHL All-Star status. Some minor control additions have been made as well.
Posted by Cory Roop, Cory Roop on Sep 10, 2008 @ 7:15 am
