Who Asked You...Movie Review - After The Sunset

After The Sunset

Directed by Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour", "Rush Hour 2")

Starring: Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Salma Hayek ("Frida"), Woody Harrelson (Cheers, "Play It To The Bone")

At one point in all of our lives, if not several, we have identity crises. Who am I really? What are my personal goals? What do I aspire to do and be? We have all asked ourselves these questions in one way or another during a adolescence, mid-life, or even quarter-life crisis.

It would seem that motion pictures can suffer from the same lack of focus as well. "After The Sunset", Hollywood's newest jewel heist adventure, appears to have been unable or unwilling to focus on being any one thing. At times it conspires to be a standard crime drama. Other times it pals around with the idea of being a buddy picture. At even other moments it flirts with being romance. Taking the film in any one of these directions would have worked fine for director Brett Ratner. However, attempting to be all of them makes the movie a master of none.

I really enjoy heist films. It is one of my favorite sub-genres. The trickery, sly coolness, and smugly happy moods of the films always cause me to leave the theater feeling like I've been in on the con myself. Sadly, "After The Sunset" does not live up to the standards of some of the quintessential heists like "Ocean's 11".

The film tries, a bit too hard in fact, to be funny. Many of the gag lines feel forced and fall flat. Woody Harrelson really helps the movie with his comedic timing and delivery. Only Harrleson's performance allows the movie to even think about being called a comedy.

One thing that the director is not subtle about is using the looks of his leads to the film's advantage. 95% of the film is set in the Carribean and on a beach. As a result, we get a lot of Salma Hayek in bikinis and Pierce Brosnan without a shirt on. That being said, the film doesn't use sex as a crutch. There are some suggestive scenes and dialougue but the love scenes are quite tames when compared to the actors previous work. (See, and I do mean SEE, Brosnan in "The Thomas Crown Affair" and Hayek in "Frida" or "Desperado")

All of the actors seem to so an admirable job with what they are given. As I mentioned above, Harrleson excels at comic moments and buddy-movie chemistry the same way he always has. Don Cheadle is as excellent as always as an over-the-top and in-your-face villain. Russell Hornsby is Cheadle's top grunt in his first semi-high profile role since "Playmakers" was cancelled. Even good ole, Chris Penn ("Reservoir Dogs") makes a brief appearance. Only Brosnan, who at times seems slow, tired, and possibly lost, and some of the supporting cast fall flat. All in all "After the Sunset" never quite decides what it wants to be more. An action-heist, a comedy, or a buddy picture. All elements are welcome but the lack of focus hurts the film. For example, it doesn't seem as thoughthe audience was meant to like Woody Harrelson's character at the end of the film. However, previous to the final 5 minutes, it seems to want us to sympathize with him. The movie is enjoyable, though it seems to have RENTAL stamped all over it. Unless of course you prefer to see Pierce or Salma on the big screen. Next time people, make up your mind before you make a movie.

Care - EE - okay

It would seem that the fate/karma/or the will of the great whatever conspired to ensure that I would experience some Karaoke over the weekend.

For those who don't know Karaoke (who I think a someone once said is Japanese for "Evil Wind") is when a bunch of drunk people of all ages, races, and creeds sing along to popular though often not good songs. Typically most of the people who sing have no business singing which they seem to think is funny. There will also tend to be two or three people who really can sing that go up halfway through the night in order to make everyone else who sang look like total crap.

Some things to remember when at a bar that is featuring karaoke:

1-If you didn't think you were a good singer when you walked into the bar, then you aren't, don't let your friends or that 5th drink let you think otherwise.
2-If you more than 2 women go up to sing, head to the bathroom. They are either going to sing an awful song (e.g. "Dancing Queen", "Redneck Woman", anything from "Grease") OR they know they are not that good so have brought their equally not good friends up for support.
3-You will be very lucky to hear good songs. The latest Ashley Simpson song will be sung or even worse Cher will be done at least twice. "Summertime" or "Gimme Some Lovin" will almost never be done.
4-If you see an older man go up to sing, stick around, as he'll likely be doing something decent by Sinatra or Mathis.

So why I am blogging about this activity that I clearly have such an affinity for? Well on Friday night my friends who I haven't seen in a while invited me to come out with them to a bar where this musical travesty was taking place. Since I had a small headache that I felt could easily be nudged to a brain-crusher at any moment I declined. On Saturday night I made me triumphant return to the bar I work at after a nearly three week absence. Now on Saturday nights starting about 9:30 pm we have karaoke of our own there. Typically I'm about out the door by this time of the night and so am spared most of this. However a party of 16 people who like drinking that I had been waiting on since 6:00 decided that they weren't yet ready to call it a night. So on this particular Saturday I was at work until 11:45 pm and had to suffer through all of the ear-splitting joy of karaoke in Sunset Hills, Missouri. So for this weekend at least, the karaoke gods had me firmly in their sights.

Gotta go shopping

I really don't understand why so many people feel the need to get up earlier than they ever would on a workday, on their post-Thansgiving day off. I think there is a difference between men and women here. Any men you happen to see waiting in line at 5AM on the Friday after turkey day are there either with their wives or on the orders of their wives.

And why? What do they really expect? Do they think that Best Buy will suddenly mark everything in the store down to less than $5?

Ok, so Hellonearthmart (Walmart) advertises that they have DVD player for $39 and digital cameras for $79. Fine that sounds like a good deal. But anyone with the capacity for critical thinking should be able to figure out the rub here. They have maybe 10 of the sale items on hand in the store. Maybe less as the employees will sometimes hide them so they can make sure their family gets the good deal. So within 15 minutes of the store opening, all of the so-called "great deals" are over. However there is a major bit of psychology that comes into play here. You have now woken up early, wasted a chance at sleeping in and have nothing so show for it. So are you going to leave the store empty handed? Of course not, you will put your head down and push forward, blindly searching for a deal. So you buy a few things and convince yourself that you've saved some money. In reality you've spent more than you planned on things you didn't plan on buying. Yup, you fell for it hook....line....and sinker.

I've always enjoyed a good catfight. Nevertheless, seeing two or twenty soccer-moms bludgeoning each other to a within an inch of their lives over the last Proof That Mommy Loves You Elmo Doll is pathetic.

Movie of the Week: Dinner Rush

Dinner Rush

Directed by Bob Giraldi

Starring: Danny Aiello ("Do The Right Thing", "The Godfather Part II"), John Corbet ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "Sex And The City"), Summer Phoenix and a good ensemble of others.

Buy it here: Amazon.com
Rent it here: Netflix
Read reviews here: Rotten Tomatoes



Dinner Rush is an excellent little movie. A fun drama it takes place at one of New York's most exclusive fine Italian restaurants. The director does a good job in giving the audience a view into a night at a busy restaurant. Even though the film sometimes deals with some dark subjects, the overall tone of the movie is kept light and fun.

In addition to the cast that I listed: Look for "Samir" from Office Space as a gay maitre'd, one of the men from "Band of Brothers" as a souse-chef addicted to gambling, and Sandra Berhardt as a b$%#@, I mean, as an eccentric bi-sexual food critic.

The film won the Audience Choice Award (meaning it got the highest average rating from audience members) at the 2000 St. Louis International Film Festival and at the 2001 Sarasota Film Festival.

Movie Of The Week: Office Space

Office Space




Directed by Mike Judge ("Beavis and Butthead")

Starring: Ron Livingston ("Swingers", "Adaptation") and Jennifer Aniston ("The Good Girl")


Ranking #2 among my "favorite movies of all time" list, Office Space is the quintessential picture for the 'office zombie' generation. It is arguably the funniest film of the 1990s.

Who Asked You...Movie Reviews - The Incredibles

The Incredibles

Directed by Brad Bird ("Iron Giant")
Starring the geniuses of Pixar Animation Studios and the voices of,
Craig T. Nelson ("Coach")
Holly Hunter ("Little Black Book"
Jason Lee ("Chasing Amy", "Almost Famous")
Samuel L. Jackson ("Pulp Fiction", "Jurassic Park")

The streak is intact.

Pixar Animation Studios has scored again with its new hit movie that you may have heard of "The Incredibles". If the 70+ million dollars it made during it's opening weekend wasn't enough to tell you it was a hit, then maybe the constant media blitz and talk around the proverbial water coolers will.

After some unfortunate litigation (a pro-tort reform Disney film??), all of the 'supers' in the world are forced to go into hiding and not use their powers. This includes the super-est super Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson). Mr. Parr as he is now known lives a hum-drum existence as an insurance adjuster while his wife Elasticgirl (Holly Hunter) raises the families three kids and tells them not to use their powers. But Mr. I wants excitement and he gets it when a mysterious force enters his life.


"The Incredibles" is a very imaginative film. The characters are well crafted both in terms of the smooth animation and the deeper than you'd expect personalities. Each character is given an action sequence to show off their "special talents" and at the same time act like regular people who just happen to be super. The gags are sharp very clean and the dialogue is original and interesting. Again, everything you'd expect from a Pixar film.

The one weakness in "The Incredibles" is in the lack of originality in the plot. The 'super-heros as regular people with regular problems' concept has been done already. In fact, it has been done quite a bit lately. The underachieveing "Mystery Men" was one example and the under exposed "The Specials" was another. Television once even got in on the act with "The Tick". "The Incredibles is certainly not the first film to borrow an idea from another work. Steve Jobs, founder of Pixar, has even said in the past that, "Great artists steal." Their view is that there is nothing wrong with a creative person taking a poorly excuted idea from someone else and improving on it. Apple Computers (The first company Steve Jobs founded) is well known in computer circles for getting three of their greatest innovations, the graphical user interface, mouse, and laser printer, from the Xerox company.

That being said one cannot argue that "The Incredibles" is not an improvement. Bringing the story to the level of children allows the film to focus more on having fun than on the internal turmoil in a super's soul. Sure there is enough foreshadowing that you will know the end of the film during the beginning. But you will be sure to have fun watching the ride.

If it weren't named in such a way, I don't think I would refer to Pixar's latest work as 'Incredible'. That being said, it is still a fine film that is very entertaining and that kids will love without a doubt. Only the youngest of children will be scared in anyway by the action. While the fast paced gags and stunts will keep anyone who's under 16 (physiologically or mentally) interested the whole time. The Pixar win-streak stands at six and shows no signs of weakening.

Movie of the Week: Attack the Gas Station

Attack the Gas Station

Korean with English Subtitles

Yes it may be Korean but don't let its non-Hollywood nature turn you off. "Attack the Gas Station" is a teen comedy throw on its ear, and then kicked a few times for good measure. Four young punks decide to rob a gas station for fun. Once they discover that there isn't much money to be had they stick around and make the station their own little fiefdom. Over the course of the evening they battle gangs and police, assault Chinese food delivery boys, make people stand on their heads and in general cause mischeif and mayhem. The four main characters are very well crafted and interesting. While I have mentioned fights and gangs the film is in fact very tame and comical, suitable for all audiences with the exception of some closed captioned bad language.