The League Season 1 Review

The League Season 01 (2009): B-

The League is kind of like a poor man's It's Always in Philadelphia but with fantasy football instead of a bar. The weakest parts of the show are those involving fantasy football - the show is best when it deals with the friendship between the characters. Even in Always Sunny where the characters are undeniably evil they are still developed and somewhat likable. The characters in The League are just totally one dimensional and kind of douchey. I feel absolutely no warmth or compassion to any of the characters on the show. In Always Sunny where the characters do some really heinous things (like ruin and torture the lives of the waitress and Rickety Cricket) the characters are compelling. In The League the characters are just privileged immature middle-aged men with way too much time on their hands.

Some of the characters are a little better than others like Andre who is in my opinion the funniest guy on the show (played by Paul Scheer who has been on Party Down and Parks & Recreation). Part of it may be sympathy for the continued ragging he suffers from the other members of the league. There is just an awful character called Taco on the show who doesn't like football, is really stupid, and is perpetually stoned. And this guy is portrayed as some combination of Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, and Charlie Sheen who can bed women in minutes despite the previously mentioned traits. Add in the fact that the guy is not that good looking and it becomes even more confusing and frustrating why he is portrayed as such a ladies man. The other characters on the show are not as poorly developed as Taco but aren't that compelling or funny.  The actor who plays Kevin, the commissioner of the league is prone to overacting and in my opinion really over does basic emotions.

The show's fantasy football elements are weak at best. There are some inaccuracies in regards to the characters playing fantasy football - there are a couple players too few (at least). Most fantasy leagues have ten teams at minimum where as The League has five players that we see on screen and apparently some off-screen players. The guys are cocky and arrogant about their expertise in football and it seems a little unbelievable that they are such pros. The show gets away with only having 5 cast members and just mentions "out of towners" who play in the league but are rarely mentioned.

The show is semi-scripted (like Curb Your Enthusiasm) and the conversations between the characters generally flows well and comes across as realistic. The humor that works is really standard stuff that doesn't rely on the fantasy football element. One of the better jokes in the season involves one character dressing up as a cartoon character because another character's daughter is obsessed with the cartoon and the guy dressed up is supposed to scare the girl but instead robs the house. The rest of the successful humor comes from the character of Andre awkwardly say things that he thinks are cool like "child please" after comments by others and his attempts at picking up women through methods like negging women.

The best episodes of the short (6 episode) season was "Mr McGibblets" (E04) The second season is somewhat improved from the first but the show's characters are still universally unlikable and completely one-dimensional. I probably wouldn't have watched the show if not for the fact that it airs right after It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Thursdays. The show isn't great but its usually fairly funny - it has rarely ever been hilarious though (by my count there was only one amazing joke/gag in the first six episodes).  Watching the show is a fine way to pass 22 minutes but its nothing to go out of one's way to watch. 

Music Reviews November 2010

Neon Trees, Habits (2010)

7 out of 10

Best individual songs are "Sins Of My Youth", "Love And Affection" and "Girls And Boys In School". Its a really short album (only eight songs and a run time of about a half hour) with no awful songs but no great songs either. I guess its preferable to do 8 good songs than 12 or 15 mediocre songs. Neon Trees sound a lot like The Killers - I could have been convinced that the album was  a Killers album. The album is above average - it doesn't or hasn't really been anything more than just somewhat enjoyable.

The Gaslight Anthem, Sink or Swim (2007)

8 out of 10

Its hard to single out one or two songs as being significantly better than any others on the album. Some albums play out as just a bunch of unrelated songs put together but "Sink or Swim" really only works if all the songs are listened to together in my opinion. The final track, "Red At Night" is a nice change of pace and is terrific. The Gaslight Anthem sound sort of like a really angry Bruce Springsteen - there is not as much of the inspirational or upbeat elements as in Springsteen's music and there is more of a punk type anger. Still the album does sound at parts similar to Springsteen (especially in "Red At Night").

James Blunt, Some Kind of Trouble (2010)

6 out of 10

James Blunt is not a great or transcendent artist. His music is simply pleasant - its nice to hear about but is kind of empty. That said I think Blunt does this empty, smooth sounding, and pleasurable type of music better than anyone. Best individual songs on the album are "Stay the Night", "Best Laid Plans", "Dangerous", and "Superstar". It should be said that this album sounds a lot like Blunt's last album (1973) - its almost like a Part II.

Patti Smith, Easter (1978)

6.5 out of 10

Best individual songs are "Because The Night", "Space Monkey", and "Ghost Dance".  "Because The Night" which was written by Bruce Springsteen is just an amazing song and is heads and shoulders above anything else on the album. It might be that the genre of music (Punk Rock) is not really my preferred genre. The album was kind of crude and explicit at times - its not offensive or even troubling at all, just a little surprising. Here is Patti Smith performing "Because The Night" in 1978: 

Winter 2010 Film Reviews I

The Kids Are All Right (2010): B

The Kids Are All Right is about the domestic struggles of an unorthodox family. The film's title suggest that it is about the trials and tribulations of the children in the family but that is not really the case. In the film the teenage children who are raised by lesbians search out for their sperm donor father. The family's struggles when the sperm donor father becomes involved in the family is what the film is about.

Despite the uncommon or rare family structure in the film its fairly relatable and certain scenes were emotional and kind of touching. The film is billed as a comedy and its really not hilarious or even funny - there are humorous situations but the film's goal is clearly not to make you laugh. My biggest issue with the film is the lack of any real character depth or development. This is most pronounced in the supporting characters but also exists to some extent within the five lead characters. For example there are the stock characters of a geeky, socially awkward friend, outspoken, slutty friend, and another friend who is dumb, violent and crude. These characteristics define the characters; there is nothing to do characters than the fact that they are dumb or awkward. 

The character of Paul (the sperm donor father) who I guess is supposed to be the villain of the film was in my opinion the best part of the film. The character is fully developed and the character doesn't just do one thing. Watching the movie you can tell how twisted and confused he is and how he is not unsure of what he should do. Paul changes through the film; for the most part none of the other characters grow or change.

At the end of the film the struggles of the family are more or less pinned solely on Paul. Looking at it from the perspective of the character (who is an outsider and not part of the family) he is repeatedly used by the family and once they no longer need him they just throw him away. I felt like that his treatment was more than a little cruel. Mark Ruffalo (who plays Paul) is just extraordinary in the film and the actors who play the two kids do a nice job as well. There are a lot of things to like in the film like the dialogue for example flows really nice and is realistic. I never once though I was watching a movie and there weren't any ridiculous lines that people don't say.  Overall it is an enjoyable film and is a moving family drama that succeeds despite some of its flaws.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005): B-

Stieg Larsson's novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the first book of a mystery trilogy released after his death. The three novels have sold over forty million copies worldwide and have been adapted to film in Larsson's home country of Sweden. The two main characters of the novel are Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist may be a stand in for Larsson himself as both are/were unmarried investigative journalists in Sweden. Salander is a young (early 20s), weird, and misunderstood prodigy. I personally did not find the Lisbeth Salander character likable at all - she was cold, silent, and had a vicious temper. The novel is about Blomkvist redeeming himself after an embarrassing affair in which he is convicted of libel and solving the mystery of a child that has been missing for decades. 

The novel starts off fairly fast and is undeniably interesting. In the beginning of the novel the story shifts from Blomkvist's point of view and Salander's. Salander's story is really dark and at times gruesome. Blomkvist's character comes across as a bit pompous and has a holier than thou attitude. The other issue I had with Blomkvist is that the character is portrayed as some type of modern day Casanova. Blomkvist is a middle aged, moderately successful journalist not Tiger Woods, so the sheer amount of women he was bedding was a little ridiculous. For much of the novel Blomkvist is investigating the mystery of the missing child and it for the most part engrossing and exciting but the novel insisted on switching back to Salander who is living her boring, tragic, and uneventful life. The two storylines are merged towards the midpoint of the novel and for a short time the novel is truly excellent. However the ridiculous ending ruins the novel - it is way too convoluted and wraps up way too neatly. The ending of the novel is exciting and fast paced but once you're done reading it you realize some of the ridiculous things that have just gone on.

Some of the issues I had with the novel are not the fault of the novel itself. For example, I came into the novel with sky high expectations. Everything I had heard about the novel was outstanding and on Amazon the three books were among the top 5 novels sold. The novel is an above average thriller; it is certainly a notch above mediocre popular fiction novels but it by no means a literary classic. The novel is set in Sweden, virtually all of the characters are Swedish and as a result it is a little hard to decipher what exactly is going on at times. I would say "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is absolutely worth reading but expectations should be modest. The book is  definitely worth the $5.48 its priced at on Amazon and is a fun read for the most part. It is not a fast read in my opinion - usually if a novel is good I can finish it in one or two sittings but it took me a couple weeks to finish the novel (its relatively large size, 600 pages, didn't help). I have started reading the sequel "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and at least so far (I am about 75 pages in) it is not better than the first novel.

Fall 2010 Film Reviews IV

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): B
Its really hard to classify Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in one genre. Its part screwball comedy, private detective mystery, and partly a conspiracy thriller.  The film which stars Robert Downey Jr. pre Iron Man as a low level thief and Val Kilmer as this sophisticated Hollywood fixer/consultant starts off great. There's a scene with Downey Jr.'s character doing a audition without knowing he's auditioning which is terrific. After that though its mostly downhill - the interaction between the two leads is mostly entertaining and is fairly funny. The flashbacks in my opinion don't really work and the conspiracy element is pretty stupid.  There is a ridiculous amount of violence and its refreshing to see a movie that utilizes guns that actually results in someone getting killed (because believe it or not sometimes when a gun is fired people are hit and killed).  Robert Downey Jr is really solid in the film, he really sold me on him being some neophyte criminal.  As a comedy, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is exceptional, when it veers into drama its vey mediocre. Overall it’s a fun movie though and worth watching.

Tropic Thunder (2008): B+

Tropic Thunder might have the most loaded cast of movie that’s not part of the Oceans franchise. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel, Jack Black, and Danny McBride all have decent sized roles in the film. Obviously the movie is probably best known for Robert Downey Jr.'s role as an Australian actor that has surgery to look black to play the role of an African-American within the film (amazingly this role got him an Oscar nomination). He is terrific in the film and every scene he is in is hilarious. I really didn't find any of the stuff with Jack Black funny it was more just gross. The trailers in the beginning of the film is probably the best part of the entire film and there are scattered moments throughout the film that are funny. A good amount of the jokes are kind of stale and the film aside from Robert Downey Jr's parts is not really that rewatchable of a movie in my opinion.