The Gibson Dilemma

On the verge of one post this week, I had to write something. Originally I thought this post might be too controversial. There’s also a chance I might change my mind on this issue at some point. It’s a tricky wicket that’s for sure, but here we go.

The trailer for the long postponed dramedy The Beaver was released recently and already there’s been heavy controversy and criticism surrounding the film. Telling the story of a depressed man (Gibson) who starts living his life through a beaver puppet, it’s been a hard sell considering Mel Gibson is the most despised man in Hollywood right now. I in no way condone what he did or feel the need to defend him, but I feel it’s unfair to attack this movie before it has even been released.

I like Mel Gibson’s movies, maybe he’s a psycho in real life, but on the screen he’s charismatic and behind the camera, he’s proven himself to be a gifted storyteller. Where do we draw the line separating art from life? Should we boycott a film based on the unrelated, personal issues of one of its parts? I get it. He’s the star of a movie about how we should all forgive him, but he’s not the only one involved in this film. Again, I’m not trying to defend Gibson, I’m trying to defend movies. I don’t go to the movies cause I hear Will Smith is a nice guy, I go because I like to be entertained.
I think a prime example is Phil Spector, currently imprisoned for murder. MURDER! I don’t think any sane person supports that, but does that mean we should ignore or disregard his entire body of work? Of course not, it wouldn’t be fair to the music, or any of the other people who helped create it. The fact that he’s a convicted criminal has nothing to do with the music. The music should stand apart and be judged in its own category. You could almost consider Ty Cobb to be a similar case. It’s well publicized that he was a racist, jerk, and prone to violence, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great baseball player. It doesn’t mean we should ignore all his accomplishments and throw out his records.
I hate that celebrities personal lives have become so closely linked to their movies. That a breaking story on IMDB can be something like “Tori Spelling has twins.” That’s not news and that has nothing to do with movies or TV. It’s understandable that people want to know what celebrities are like, it makes them more relatable. Though I think there should be a fine line and people shouldn’t let these stories influence what they see at the cinema.

The Beaver could be good, it could totally suck, who knows? It’s just the fact that so many journalists, and columnists, and bloggers, are berating it so unfairly. Is it fair to director/co-star Jodie Foster, or any of the cast and crew? Why don’t we see it for ourselves before we pass such harsh judgment.

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen
1926-2010
What a shocker huh? I mean Leslie Nielsen had been working so long and all the way up his passing if I might add. It’s bizarre in that I was just watching Naked Gun 2 on TV yesterday, what a tragedy to lose “The Olivier of Spoofs” as Roger Ebert once called him. It didn’t even matter if he was starring in an awful movie, Leslie always gave 100% and was always a pleasure to watch.

Getting his big break with the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956), Leslie started off his career as your typical straightforward leading man. He followed this with a series of roles for MGM studios (Ransom! (1956), The Opposite Sex (1956) and Hot Summer Night (1957) and various appearances on television. In 1972 he played the captain in the popular disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure, but it was until 1980 that he truly found his calling… Airplane. One of the greatest comedies of all time with one of the greatest comedy roles of all time. Dr. Rumack arguably has some of the best lines and Leslie plays it masterfully with stone faced demeanor. Thus from there on he would come to be known as not just a good actor, but a great comedic talent.

Leslie would of course go on to do the classic Naked Gun series playing the serious yet always oblivious Lt. Frank Drebin. This would build a lifelong working relationship with the Zucker brothers and only further Leslie’s status as the go-to actor for spoof/parody films. Though most of these were fairly hit or MISS, Leslie seemed to enjoy his work and that enthusiasm always rubbed off on viewers.

Leslie passed away from pneumonia today at hospital near his Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84 years old and will be greatly missed.

Jacko is Backo

I never know what people have or haven’t heard, but I was unaware until just recently that a posthumous Michael Jackson album is coming out this year. It’s not surprising considering that Michael Jackson is currently the hottest selling dead celebrity, but I think there’s a lot of potential for this project. I remember hearing all the time in 2007 that Michael Jackson was doing a lot of recording. So there’s good chance there could be some good stuff here, not like they’re just scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The album entitled “Michael” is due out December 10th and new song “Breaking News” is now streaming on M.J.’s site. Sony records says it’s not the first commercial single so I guess it’s just another track on the album, but I like it. It doesn’t have a really catchy hook, but it’s arrangement and rhythm are great and it’s been growing on me. So I’m excited for this release, I hope there will be a big, catchy, breakout single but even if it’s just stuff like “Breaking News” I’ll be content, long live the king.

The Undead Air

Zombies seem to be everywhere these days, hell I went to a zombie convention last weekend. Basically the undead are as popular as ever and what better way to capitalize on that than with the first ever zombie TV show? I was ecstatic when I heard that AMC out of all networks was going to take on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel The Walking Dead and after viewing the pilot, I can proudly say that all my expectations were met.

I read the first installment of Kirkman’s series last summer and though it didn’t blow me way, I still found it’s simple approach and style enjoyable. Definitely plenty to expand on for a series, so it’s a good jumping off point. Seeing that zombies have been done so many times you don’t want to overcomplicate anything, keep it simple using atmosphere and character development to suck us in. I mean the zombie concept has been taken on so many times, but how often has it actually been taken on well? This show takes it on and takes it to new heights.

I could explain it in just a few sentences for those who don’t know. A southern sherif gets shot on the job and awakes from a coma to find the world has been taken over by the undead. Sounds a lot like 28 Days Later huh? Surprisingly no, this is a quiet and brooding show that’s paced slowly and stealthily. Until the end there weren’t even that many zombies, most of our lead character Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln’s) confrontations with corpses were one on one. Oh and I must say the corpses look fantastic in traditional makeup work.

What’s great about The Walking Dead premiere is that it’s not as much about zombies as it’s just about human survival. Almost if the zombies are just props to the desolate setting in which people try to survive in the midst of disaster. There’s a lot of room for these characters to grow and develop over time and “time” this show does take.

I couldn’t of been happier with the premiere of AMC’s newest and hopefully next big show, it certainly has the potential to attract a large following. Who wouldn’t want to see a movie quality show that’s free to show as much blood as they please on basic cable? I can’t wait for next sunday.

Orange October Continues

Well it’s mid-October and the San Francisco Giants are still playing baseball. Honestly, I’m still having a hard team believing this, considering this was a team that I witnessed get swept by the Oakland A’s back in May, and were made to look absolutely foolish by the Padres for most of the season. But none of that matters now as Brian Sabean somehow managed to turn this rag-tag bunch of unwanted veterans and emerging youngsters into pennant contenders.

So now the big question is, how in the hell do the Giants beat the Phillies? For most people it doesn’t seem possible, but there’s plenty of reason to keep up hope. First of all, let’s look at how that supposedly impenetrable Phillies rotation did this year against the Giants.

Roy Halladay – 0-1, 6.43 ERA

Cole Hamels – 0-1, 7.36 ERA

Roy Oswalt – 1-3, 3.33 ERA

So really, there’s plenty of reason to doubt that Phillies pitching will absolutely dominate this Giants line-up like everyone expects them to. Of course in the last month or two, these three pitchers have been just about perfect, but then again, so have Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez. So basically we can all expect to see one of the best pitched post-season series in history.

Now looking at the Phillies line-up, that’s were things get a little distressing. Yes, you’ve got you’re Utley’s and your Howard’s and to a lesser extent your Victorino’s. The Giant’s lineup on the other hand has Buster Posey, a glorious man-child sent down from the heavens with the sole purpose of rectifying this otherwise mediocre offense. Plus you’ve got those crafty veterans like Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, and Juan Uribe who we can only hope will come up with those big hits when we need them most.

I’m also hanging on to the idea that Matt seems to remind us of with each coming postseason, and that’s the fact that this is only seven games, and anything can happen in seven games. So are the Giants as good a team as the Phillies? I’m gonna have to say no, not really. But that’s what’s made this team so much fun to root for all season long, they’re the lovable underdogs, and who am I to say that they can’t pull off one more miracle? So all I really have left to say is GO GIANTS!

Da Podcasket Episode 05

Kevin Lemme, of kevinlemme.com, returns along with Colin’s Internet quality in this latest episode of Da Podcasket. There’s a lot to talk about and da gang aren’t afraid to get into it. The fall TV season, The Social Network and new video games are the focus of serious consternation. Plus, it wouldn’t be Da Podcasket without a hearty helping of baseball talk, in a hit segment that makes you equally sad for the Mariners and happy for the Giants. Enjoy!

Listen to the Podcast:

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80s Week Wrap Up

By the Power of Greyskull we’ve done it! Another successful theme week. Successful in that we actually managed to think of enough pop culture junk to fill the week. All in all I think it was a worthy venture, even if we are children of the 90s, I think we did the 80s justice. So I figured I’d just leave you with our little 80s homage from a few years back. Hope this was everything you wished it could be and check back for more “Shocktober” posts throughout the month, cowabunga dudes!