Genre

Unlike most people my age, I still have a surreal view of love despite a plethora of failed relationships and a horrendous first marriage. Sometimes, I feel like I am the only person who doesn’t have a screwed up concept of love. But thankfully I did find my true love before anything happened to my ideology. Enter the movie Year of the Carnivore, a movie that disguises itself to be about sex when in reality it is more a statement about good old fashioned love.

Eight O’ Clock. Just another day for Sammy Smalls (played by Cristin Milioti) until she peers out his window and stares at a guy engaged in a self sexual act. (it is not graphic, just disturbing). Interested, she doesn’t even realize she is eating off her parent’s picture. So off Sammy goes to the grocery store to do her job as store security. She catches a old man stealing a steak and hands him over to the store manager, Dirk (played by Will Sasso) who mulls him over.

One could say that I watch a healthy dose of Adult Swim. My favorites are Robot Chicken and the Venture Bros but I usually find that I can enjoy just about any of the shows given a few episodes and the inability to change channels. Seriously, the Adult Swim block on Cartoon Network produces quality television and stuff you won’t find anywhere else. Childrens Hospital is one such show that explores the lighter side of medicine. As long as there aren’t any clowns in this, we should be okay.

*looks at box* Crap!

"I don't remember if I started drinking because my wife left me or my wife left me because I started drinking."

Nicolas Cage has played quite an array of oddball characters in what has to be one of Hollywood's most eclectic careers. But whatever your favorite might be, this is the one that earned him an Oscar. The movie also earned Elisabeth Shue her only nomination for an Oscar. While those were not the only nominations for this cult favorite film, that's really where the money is. The film is a character study of two people on a downward spiral. The film was also nominated for two additional Oscars, but it is the acting that makes this movie somewhat exceptional.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Dirty Tricks stars Martin Clunes as Edward, an underachieving English teacher.  Edward meets an accountant (Neil Dudgeon) and begins an affair with his wife, Karen (Julie Graham). When Karen unfortunately passes away, the aging detective (James Bolam) assigned to the case, suspects Edward is involved. Edward is a charming protagonist at first and suddenly the lies and absurdities begin piling up. On the outside, the film resembles a typical comedy and as the film unfolds it becomes a mystery.  Is Edward who he continues to say he is? Or, is Edward making appeals of innocence to both the audience and the characters within the film?  As a viewer, you will struggle with this question throughout. British television enthusiasts will not be disappointed with this effort.

Martin Clunes plays the role of Edward to perfection. The subtleties of his performance are remarkable.  His lying springs the famous George Costanza line to mind “it’s not a lie, if you believe it”.  There is an organic quality to his performance which is the most appealing.  Clunes is perfectly cast and the film would not be a third as entertaining without him. The other performances are not as dazzling as Clunes.  However, within the narrative of the film, they are a nice compliment to a great performance.

"In the world's highest mountains are roads only the best can survive. It's a whole new challenge for the top ice road truckers. They're taking on the world's deadliest roads to prove there's no route they can't conquer, and no load they can't haul..."

The Ice Road Truckers are back, but it's not the haul roads of Canada or Alaska they'll be facing this time. They've been taken to India where they'll haul cargo across the Himalayan mountains in trucks of wooden cabins and a third the horsepower they're used to. And, the worse danger isn't even the sheer cliffs or unpredictable landslides. It's the other cars. If you think they drive like maniacs where you live, you haven't seen anything yet. One of the drivers will get into two accidents before he even gets to the mountain.

"I'm Brad Meltzer. I've spent my life collecting stories. The best include signs, symbols and coded messages that are hidden in plain sight. Some have become the basis for my novels. But I've only scratched the surface of what's out there, and now History has given me the resources to investigate the rest. This is Decoded."

What if I told you there was an author out there who was known for writing novels that include historical conspiracies, secret societies and buried treasures, and that this author has found a way to parlay his moderate writing success into a television series for History?

I’m kicking myself. Martin Scorcese’s The Color of Money has long been a favorite of mine, but for some reason I never knew it was a sequel to The Hustler, a film 25 years older and three times better.

Starring a young Paul Newman (Road to Perdition) in a role that earned him his second Oscar nomination, The Hustler is about a cocky pool player hustling his way to the top. When “Fast Eddie” Felson (Newman) challenges undefeated straight-pool champ Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason,…Requiem for a Heavyweight) to a high stakes game, the talented young hustler shows he has the skills to be the best, but self-destructs toward the end of the 25-hour marathon match. Left near-penniless and without the managing partner who helped him get started in the seedy world of pool hustling, Eddie faces an uphill struggle to regain his confidence. Shacking up with smart, attractive and similarly self-destructive Sarah (Piper Laurie, Carrie) proves to be a decent diversion while Eddie wallows in misery, but while he uses her as a crutch, he becomes the cause of her destruction when he agrees to play for Bert Gordon (George C. Scott, Patton), a ruthless, greedy manager, and brings her along when they hit the road.

The story of Romeo and Juliet is a story that is retold at least once every generation. It can be retold using a different time period or with alien races or perhaps even in a thirty second commercial. It is a fairly easy story and parts can be tweaked given the audience and intention. So begins the story of Gnomeo and Juliet. Take one part animation, one part garden gnomes and a dose of laughter that could be just what the classic play needs. Or it could become a tragedy of the highest order.

There are two elderly people who share a large house. One is Mrs. Montague and the other is Mr. Capulet. They can not stand each other. In such, part of their daily routine is to look after their separate prized garden. One is decorated in blue (Montague) while the other is decorated in red(Capulet). However, they both share one thing in their design. They both like to use garden gnomes. When Mrs. Montague and Mr. Capulet go away however, the gnomes magically come to life. So starts our story.

When I was a kid, I always wished and hoped I had super powers. Frankly, I did not even think my parents were my parents, rather hosts for somebody who would eventually change the world. Somewhere along the way, I grew up (kinda) but always wondered what would happen if things were different. I Am Number Four explores the story of a teenager who could change the world with his powers if he can simply stay alive long enough. By the way, I still don’t think my parents were my parents.

Two men (played by Greg Townley and Reuben Langdon) are asleep in some remote part of the world. All of the sudden, they feel something is wrong and wake up. They find nothing, but then suddenly one of the men is grabbed by an unknown monster and taken out of the cabin by force. The other man witnessing this horrid event has no choice but to try and run to safety.