FILM REVIEW: Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg's "The Other Guys"

In an EW interview, Paul Rudd said that he doesn't consider Steve Carrell a comedian. He's just an actor who happens to be funny. Mark Wahlberg is not a comedian. However, unlike Carrell, he doesn't have a long list of comedic films on his resume that say otherwise. If Walhberg were to tell you that he's not a comedian, you wouldn't argue with him. Why? Because there are actors that you laugh with, actors you laugh because of, and actors you laugh at. A comedian can be any of these actors, but any one of these actors cannot be a comedian.

NBC's "Community" actually has all three kinds. Abed is the kind of character you laugh with, because you feel like you're in on the joke. Jeff is the kind of character you laugh because of, either because they are veterans in the comedy genre and they know how to push the audience's buttons or they command authority and deliver deadpan punchlines. And Pierce is the kind of character you laugh at, because he's ridiculous.  

Walhberg is the second kind, the authoritative, deadpan kind. He was even nominated for an Oscar for being this kind of funny! So the problem isn't that he can't deliver a punchline, it's that he spent a better part of his life being one. It all started with his brief rap career that's been a running joke for decades. Even Eminem, the sole successful white rapper in Rap history, made fun of him to his face on "TRL." He's made a living off of being the tough white guy on film ever since his music career ended. But every now and then someone, like Andy Samberg, mocks his persona. Anger is his schtick. But it isn't loud. It isn't abrasive. It's just gurgling under the surface. It's the total opposite of his Other Guy's character Terry.

Those lines weren't meant for a no-bullshit, sarcastic smart ass. They were meant for a seasoned comedian who knew how to skirt the line between enraged and goofy, without coming off like a caricature. It was like Walhberg was doing a Samberg impression of a Wahlberg impression. Do you know who would've done that role justice? Danny McBride. He and Will Ferrell have already had their buddy comedy with Land of the Lost. While it's true that that film did poorly, it wasn't because of the acting or their chemistry. That said, I do respect Walhberg for trying to step outside his comfort zone and dabbling in a genre he's not well known for. But hopefully the lack of critic adoration will not deter him from trying again.

As for the rest of the film, here are my favorite moments:

• Narrator: Right from the beginning, you realize that Ice-T is narrating. Yes, Ice-T, the 80s rapper who stars on one of the "Law & Orders" and has a porn star for a wife. Every time I heard his voice all I could think about was his mutant kangaroo character in Tank Girl. lol

• Supporting Cast: Damon Wayans Jr. (Dance Flick) and Rob Riggle ("Gary Unmarried" and Killers) as the other other guys, who are a little less incompetent than Ferrell and Wahlberg, were great additions to the cast, especially since The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson's roles were more like cameos after a hilarious incident meant to poke fun at action movie cops rendered them useless. Wayans and Riggle's best scene was when they had to give a speech to an elementary class, and Wayans told the kids that the best way to stay safe is to "try your hardest to not be Black or Hispanic." Since I'm both, I guess I'll be trying twice as hard. Steve Coogan was funny too, but Michael Keaton stole the show.
• Running Jokes: I loved the running jokes, from "desk pop" (shooting your gun off at your desk in a celebratory and/or proud manner), later used as "apartment pop," to "fresh start" (a phrase used when Ferrell tries to get Wahlberg to like him again lol).
• Inside Joke: I loved the inside joke concerning the Yankees, since Wahlberg is from a non-Yankee-friendly state. His character mistook Derek Jeter for an assailant and shot him, resulting in the nickname Yankee Clipper, and in someone yelling out: "You should've shot ARod." lol 
• Recession Humor: I liked that they continuously winked at the recession, having the captain (Keaton) take a second job as a manager at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

• NYU Jibes: I liked the jibe at NYU (even though I went there lol). Keaton says that he has to work two jobs so that his son can "explore his bisexuality and become a DJ," because apparently that's the A-typical NYU experience. lol
• Adolescent Behavior: I thought it was funny that they acted like teenagers sometimes, like when they were fighting on the floor at a wake and the other cops were whispering their cheers. The entire film can be boiled down to one question: "What would happen if the boys of Superbad grew up—Wahlberg as a beefed up Jonah Hill and Ferrell as a shaggy-haired Michael Cera—and starred in Beverly Hills Cops, but instead of being like Axel Foley, they're like the two idiots who follow him?
• Stomach-Busting Moment: In one scene, Ferrell is pressured to speed towards a crime scene and he ends up running over the corpse that's on scene. I laughed so hard, I almost threw up.
• "Dating Service": Ferrell's alter-ego Gator, the name he had when he was a pimp in college, was ridiculous, but it was funny that he kept reverting to him whenever he felt threatened.
• Hangover moment: The guys-night-out drunken montage looked really cool. It was like a long-shot of still life.
• TLC References: The fact that Keaton's character kept saying phrases ("chasing waterfalls," "you're a creep," and "aint too proud to beg") that were also TLC songs was so unexpected and hilarious.

• Dirty Love: I liked the part when Ferrell and his wife (Eva Mendes) had to use her grandmother to communicate with each other so he can hide from the police and the criminals. They kept sending dirty messages back and forth and torturing the poor old woman. My favorite line was when she had to say, "She wants to walk wrong for a week!" lol
• Best Action Scene: They drove into Chelsea Pier to evade a helicopter and on one side they were assaulted by a machine gun and on the other side they're being pelted with golf balls. Then the golfers take down the 'copter. Completely unrealistic, but original.

FINAL VERDICT: If you're dying for a laugh mixed with a little action and you don't want to go the family film route, turn off your frontal lobe, wear ear muffs (to tone down Wahlberg's screaming), and go see this film.
Release Date: Aug. 6th

TRAILER: Zach Snyder's "Sucker Punch"

Plot: A young girl (Emily Browning) is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality [with dragons, giant robots, and so much more] as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

Cast: Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Uninvited), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Jamie Chung (Grown Ups), Jena Malone (Saved!), Abbie Cornish (Bright Star), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Carla Gugino (Watchmen), and Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood and The Nativity Story)

Verdict: It's like Mortal Kombat meets Sailor Moon. I love it. It looks amazing...but so did Snyder's Watchmen and that bored me to tears.



Release Date: March 25, 2011

FILM REVIEW: Christopher Nolan's "Inception"

If Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight was about the lengths a man would go to protect a society, his Inception was about the lengths a man would go to create one. Most hero tales are a fervent search for Utopia—spandex clad, cape-wearing messiahs arise to take down the criminals so the world will be at peace. But what if a Utopia-seeking protagonist didn't want peace? What if he wanted control? What if what he feared wasn't a never-ending barrage of villains? What if what he feared was a limit?

Inception introduces us to a world where advanced technology allows people to share dreams, and create worlds to exist in for what feels like decades, but translates into hours. In this world, what could easily be a pass-time or the equivalent of a spa treatment is actually exploited for profit. Companies pay to have thoughts and secrets stolen from the minds of their competitors. When we are introduced to Nolan's characters, we are presented with not only this concept, known as deception, but its polar opposite, inception, the act of planting an idea.

Through history, misinformation has wreaked havoc on our society. Spreading a falsehood, whether it's socially or politically, can not only destroy a life, but a nation. Manipulation is the idea of planting a seed of doubt and allowing the human inclination of paranoia and distrust to poison the mind into a hostile state of confusion.

While understandably a company may use this method to knock off their competition, Nolan presented us with the idea of a regular person using these drastic means to convince someone of something on a smaller scale. We saw not only the nefarious agenda of a giant company, but the innocent desires of a husband. Instead of just showing us the evolution of capitalism, he showed us the limitlessness of love. He asked the question: What if the manipulator was just a romantic with good intentions?

I liked that Nolan proposed this concept on a more human level and not with a completely capitalist agenda. It would've been easy to just make this an action thriller about the ultimate "long con," but he gave even weight to both the monetary benefits of this method and the personal.

My only qualm with the film's plot was its lack of motive. He didn't quite reveal why Leonardo DiCaprio's character Cobb was so obsessed with existing in this fabricated world with his wife. Granted, it is a way to spend several life times with her and essentially achieve a certain type of immortality, but you'd imagine such an effort would be due to a time limit in the real world, whether it be a fatal illness, a pending prison sentence, or old age. But it's never really emphasized as to why he insisted on living in this world and not the other. One must wonder what he was running from.

Of course, many are saying the real point of the film was to present the idea of inception and thus perform the process on the audience through the power of suggestion. In the last scene, we are left wondering if the world Cobb now exists in is real or a limbo dream state. In fact, some of us were left wondering if it was all a dream. It's suppose to make the viewer question the same about their world. Are we all dreaming or are we awake? Is everything we do free will or just our heart's desire? Is every coincidence happenstance or a subconscious wish fulfilled? Is deja vu a trick of the mind or a memory of the real world? Can we change it all? It's a total mindfuck!

While the process of dream-sharing was intriguing, I was mainly interested in the deepest level of dreaming: limbo. We normally hear about that word in reference to the spiritual plane you are relegated to when you belong in neither heaven nor hell. Some describe it as torturous and others just imply it's frustrating. I thought it was interesting that limbo basically looked like our world, sort of  suggesting that we all just might be in it—that maybe our Earth, conscious or unconscious, is just a place we inhabit until it's determined whether we belong in heaven or hell. That theory was even more encouraged by how Cobb got there. If he died in a deep dream state, he'd lose his footing on how to get back. It seemed like a punishment for abusing the process.

When Adam and Eve tried to seek the knowledge only God knew, they were punished with self-awareness, which inflicted them with fear, sorrow, and insecurity. The true crime within that parable are the humans' attempt to acquire God's power. In the story of The Tower of Babel, humans tried to reach him physically. Once again, they were punished—scattered and left incapable of communicating due to an uncommon language. In Inception, Ellen Page's character Ariadne is hired to take over for Cobb as the architect, the person in charge of creating the dream worlds, a job that is normally performed by a God. What's the punishment for that? For creating several levels to burrow deeper into the mind and create a complicated maze of worlds? Limbo. Like I said, mindfuck!

If this film were nominated for an Oscar, I think it should be put in the directing and cinematography categories. You could say it's an original screenplay, but many have compared it to a cross between The Matrix and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. It's not so much an original idea, but an original aspect of previous ideas. The cinematography, set designs, art direction, and story-weaving, however, was truly impressive.

And in regards to acting, I would say there were no great characters, just tools to tell the story. However, DiCaprio is now officially a pro at carrying a film; Marion Cotillard played the suffering prisoner beautifully; Joseph Gordon Levitt is on his way to perfecting the art of being too cool; Ellen Page has successfully shed any resemblance to her Juno character, unlike her costar Michael Cera; and Tom Hardy is like poetry in motion—you just know he's going to be around for a while.

TRAILER: James Franco's "Howl"

Plot: A drama centered on the obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg (Franco) faced after the publication of his poem, Howl.

Cast: James Franco, Jon Hamm, Mary Louise Parker ("Weeds"), and more

Verdict: I thought I'd want to see this to determine whether Franco impersonate famed poet Alan Ginsberg well, but after watching the trailer, I was more interested in the cinematography, the direction, and the supporting cast. I'll let the other critics scrutinize Franco til their blue in the face. I'll take it all in at once.


Release Date: Sept. 24

TRAILER: Gilchrist & Galifianakis's "It's Kind of a Funny Story" Adaptation

Plot: A clinically depressed teenager (Gilchrist) gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward. Based on the young-adult novel by Ned Vizzini.

Cast: Keir Gilchrist ("United States of Tara"), Zach Galifianakis, Lauren Graham ("Parenthood"), Emma Roberts (Hotel for Dogs), Viola Davis (Doubt), Jeremy Davies ("Lost"), comedian Jim Gaffigan ("My Boys"), and Zoe Kravitz

Verdict: Gilchrist is actually my favorite part of watching "Tara." It's hard to blink during his zero-to-crazy emotional breakdowns and strikingly convincing portrayal of gay teen angst. So I was excited when I saw him in this trailer, and then I was ecstatic when I realized that it was basically a dark comedy with heart. My only hope is that it's nothing like Sandra Bullock's rehab drama 28 Days. I wanted to commit myself after that depress-fest.


Release Date: Sept. 24

TRAILER: Robert Downey, Jr. & Zach Galifianakis's "Due Date"

Plot: High-strung father-to-be Peter Highman (Downey, Jr.) is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time.

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, and Juliette Lewis

Verdict: We've already seen Galifianakis as the hilariously friendless weirdo in Hangover, but it turns out that there exists an even weirder persona that tops that. It's a shame that Downey has to be the yuppy straight-man, but I'm definitely going to the theater to see Galifianakis piss him off from point A to point B. It's like John Hughes' 1987 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to the max.


Release Date: November 5

TRAILER: Affleck & Hamm's "The Town"

Plot: As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively

Verdict: Every time a movie is set in a city that requires an accent, my ears perk up. For this film, almost the entire cast was challenged to deliver a Boston accent. I could say I'm impressed that Ben Affleck has a good one, but he's obsessed with the city, so it technically doesn't count. lol I was more concerned about Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl"), since he has a lot to prove post-Oscar-worthy performance, and she has a lot to prove due to her teen queen status. From what I can tell from the trailer though, it's not as bad as Megan Fox's attempt at a Southern accent in Jonah Hex.

The plot itself reminds me of a modern day Public Enemies, with Jon Hamm as Christian Bale. But instead of having an unapologetic thrill-seeking Johnny Depp trying to score big and bag a beautiful woman, he has a bank robber (Affleck) who falls for his oblivious hostage (Rebecca Hall from Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and a paranoid partner (Renner) who'll do anything to keep her quiet. I'm interested, but I'll probably catch it on DVD.


Release Date: Sept. 10

FILM: Rogen & Streisand, Live Action Tinkerbell, New Mystique, and more

• Stanley Tucci is rumored to be directing Tina Fey and his buddy Meryl Streep in the mother/daughter comedy Mommy and Me set in Hollywood.

• If Shia & Stone's Wall Street sequel scores at the box office, a trend will soon begin where studios will start churning out recession/finance-related films. Ridley Scott is prematurely on-board, tapping Leo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street to play a money-grubbing stock broker who cheats clients for his fattened share.

• Just when you think you've got Seth Rogen pegged, he signs on for the roadtrip comedy My Mother's Curse to play Barbara Streisand's son. His character invites his mother on a cross-country road trip to sell his organic cleaning product to market outlets, secretly hoping to reunite her with her childhood sweetheart. Meanwhile, her hidden agenda is help him overcome his fear of commitment. Dan Fogelman (Cars) and Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses and The Proposal) wrote the script.

• The producers rebooting Mad Max are so confident it's going to do well they're currently shooting two movies simultaneously called Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa. Looks like Tom Hardy, who made his name with Layer Cake and RocnRolla, and can be seen next weekend in Inception, could either have a franchise to jumpstart his career...or tank it. Currently, he's so popular, he's even up for the British police drama The Sweeney up against Daniel Craig, Ewan McGregor and Orlando Bloom.

• Elizabeth Banks is going to play live-action Tinkerbell. After seeing her bubbly mischievous character on "30 Rock," I buy that.

•  There's a remake of 1977's Oh God! in the works, with Betty White as God and Paul Rudd as the putz she calls upon to tell the world she is real (and probably that she's a she). It's sort of like Bruce Almighty except he has no way of proving that God exists, just blind faith.

• I wonder if it's a conflict of interest that Zachary Levi ("Chuck") might be up for Superman, a role his former castmate Brandon Routh famously bombed in.

• Wait a second. I thought Han died in Tokyo Drift. How is he in a photo for the Fast and the Furious sequel, Fast Five? They're saying it might be because this film follows the 2nd film's timeline. Hopefully that means Michelle Rodriguez gets to be in it. Of course, if it is a "flashback" we already know what happens next, which is lame.

• Child star Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) just signed on for the pretty original virginity comedy Sex Ed. "The story follows a college graduate who dreams of teaching high school Algebra. Due to budget cuts though, he ends up teaching sexual education - a bit of a problem as he's still a virgin." It already sounds hilarious.

 • It's interesting that Jennifer Lawrence ("The Bill Engvall Show") is going from Sundance winner Winter's Bone to X-Men: First Class to play Mystique. She's either successfully diversifying her resume or selling out. lol

FILM/TV NEWS: Garfield is the New Spiderman, Bekmambetov remakes Black Lightning, and more

• Rumors were floating around last week that our new Spiderman was Josh Hutcherson (Journey to the Center of the Earth and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant), but then it was officially announced that Andrew Garfield (left) had scored the role. Not many people know of Garfield, because his most notable roles have been in dramatic indies, such as Lions for Lambs, Boy A, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which have garnered him critical praise. This year, we'll see him in the Facebook-founding drama The Social Network and the dramatic thriller Never Let Me Go with Carey Mulligan and Kiera Knightley. As you can see, his resume doesn't exactly scream "The Next Action Star," but neither did Tobey Maguire's.

• Looks like Leonardo DiCaprio has completed his 4-picture 8-year apprenticeship with Martin Scorsese, since his next release is by Christopher Nolan, his next film is with Clint Eastwood, and amidst the large ensemble cast of Scorsese's next project Hugo Cabret, which stars Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, and Christopher Lee, DiCaprio is nowhere to be found. Or perhaps the genre is just not his style. In the 3D adventure film, adapted from Brian Selznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, an orphan boy, living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station, is soon caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy.

• I've always thought Amanda Seyfried looked supernatural or cartoonishly gorgeous and apparently Hollywood agrees. She's just been tapped to star in the upcoming live action Cinderella film.

• One of my favorite directors Timur Bekmambetov, a new American favorite after Wanted, is remaking the Russian action film Black Lightning (Chernaya Molniya), which had an extremely limited release abroad. It follows a college student who discovers a flying car and becomes a superhero in order to take on the Russian underworld. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I vaguely remember watching the trailer last year, and I can assure you, it looks just as cool as this month's Sorcerer's Apprentice, considering the budget they had to work with.

• With Wonder Woman's new makeover, I wonder how that'll change casting for the inevitable film adaptation. Any suggestions?

• I was wondering what sort of reprecussions there would be in having so many actors in the upcoming Scream 4, and as suspected, the more actors added, the less screen time each gets, and the more frustrated the actors get. Lauren Graham ("Parenthood") is already rumored to have opted out after her role was severely reduced, and Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") is rumored to being on the verge of doing the same.

• Seems Josh Peck is on a roll. He just wrapped up the Red Dawn remake, where a group of teenagers defend their town from a Communist invasion, and now he's signed on to the comedy The Siege of Fulton Avenue, where a bunch of rich New York kids end up in a standoff with the police, while they try to get rid of all the criminal evidence of their wild party. The story is based on a New York magazine article by David Amsden.

• Former child rapper Romeo Miller (aka Lil Romeo) just joined the cast of Angela Bassett and Paul Patton's upcoming comedy Jumping the Broom. He'll play a Yale student, which isn't too much of a stretch since he attends USC. The story is about "a weekend wedding in Martha's Vineyard and the class struggle between two African-American families." Geesh, I'm already laughing. I hope this is "as funny" as Our Family Wedding.


TV NEWS

• I suppose the writers of "Dexter" are finding it hard to follow the last killer season, so they're resorting to stunt casting for the next one, calling on Julia Stiles (Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You) to guest star. Although, I'm not really sure what kind of stunt that is.

• Steve Carell and Alec Baldwin are aiming to leave their respective NBC shows after this season. I understand that Carell is interested in acquiring a more relaxed schedule with films, but Baldwin has yet to establish himself as a film actor. Mark Wahlberg, of all people, upstaged his performance in The Departed, critics were mostly raving about Meryl Streep's hot streak during It's Complicated's debut, and people barely remember he was in My Sister's Keeper. Who knows though? He could be signing a development deal as we speak. After all, Wilmer Valderamma just got one.

• Janeane Garofalo is joining the cast of CBS's "Criminal Minds" spin-off titled "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." She'll play one of the main agents of an elite team of profilers run by Forest Whitaker's character. I hope she's the comic relief, cause Whitaker's proven he's yet to master comic timing.

• Starz canceled both its "Party Down" and "Gravity" comedies.

FILM REVIEW: The Last Airbender - Pros & Cons

Before you—and I—write-off The Last Airbender as the worst movie of the year, I'd like to remind everyone that so far we've seen The Rock strut around in a fairy tutu (Tooth Fairy), Jackie Chan partner up with Hannah Montana's dad (The Spy Next Door), the once-promising Brandon T. Jackson play a giggling satyr (Percy Jackson), Bruce Willis set up Tracy Morgan's juvenile jokes (Cop Out), Carlos Mencia sell-out to play George Lopez's stand-in (Our Family Wedding), Jude Law attempt to detract from his hair loss by playing a buffed-up bounty hunter (Repo Men), Rob Corddry get forced to give head to a guy in order to feed off the Hangover's success (Hot Tub Time Machine), J.Lo fall into a baby pool of placenta (The Back-Up Plan), Russell Crowe ruin a classic hero's tale (Robin Hood), Sarah Jessica Parker and her hags insensitively shove her riches in this nation's poverty-stricken face (Sex and the City 2), Megan Fox butcher a Southern accent (Jonah Hex), and whatever happened in MacGruber. We'd have to have short-term memory in order to definitively say The Last Airbender was the worst movie of the year.

Allow me to break down the pros and the cons of the film before you make up your mind:

*I should preface this by saying I've never seen the cartoon series.

PROS

+ The Message

First off, it's important to acknowledge that any action film geared towards children that advocates peace and unity should be given extra credit automatically. Secondly, the trailer made it seem as though Aang, the chosen one a.k.a The Avatar, was a loner who had accepted his destiny and was on a journey to save the other elemental communities from the Fire Nation. I was glad to discover, however, that like a normal child, and much like many other heroes, Aang was reluctant to take on such a huge responsibility, and even still seemed understandably frightened of his destiny in the very last scene. It was a far more realistic portrayal of the Bringer of Balance than you would've expected from this genre.

+ Fight Scenes: Escape from the Fire Nation & The Water Nation Battle

These were the best fight scenes. The set-up, the camera angles, the combat techniques, and the elemental graphics were all top-notch. I especially liked it when Aang ran on the wooden pegs to escape, changing his wooden staff into a glider. It reminded me of The Golden Child, especially since he looks like the Golden Child. lol

+ Dev Patel

Of all of the actors in the film, Dev was the most surprising. I'm not saying this because I love "Skins" and Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, since I loved him as those two characters, I should find it that much more difficult to stomach his villainous portrayal of Prince Zuko. However, it turns out he plays tortured, rebuked, and humiliated pretty well. Even before I realized his character had redeeming qualities, I started thinking he just might have more range than his "Skins" co-star Nicholas Hoult, who has been critically-lauded as an up-and-comer for the last 2 years with not much to show for it.

+ Appa, his flying pet

Maybe it's just because it reminds me of the flying dog in The Neverending Story, but I was really happy that it didn't turn out looking mechanical or superimposed into their world.

CONS

+ The Dialogue

I realize that this film was originally a cartoon, and that cartoons are for children. But since this generation is capable of video-chatting their grandparents on their 5th generation iPhones, recording the indie rock series "Yo Gabba Gabba" on their TiVos, and reading 600-page Harry Potter novels on their Kindles, I don't think they need to be talked to at a picture-book reading level—especially since they read their picture books on iPads. I felt like my brain was on cruise-control. Fearing that non-"Avatar" viewers would be baffled by the legend behind the series, director M. Night Shyamalan felt the need to use that oh-so-annoying explanation technique often abused in children's films. Paraphrased:
Katara: "We have to save the Northern Water Nation from the Fire Nation. You're the only one who can save them Aang!"
Aang: "I need to go to the spirit world to speak to the Dragon Spirit."
Sokka: "You mean, if we find a sacred land for you to meditate, you can cross over and find the answer we need to save the Water Nation?"
Aang: "Yes, with that knowledge, I can save the Water Nation."
Dora is less condescending than this.

+ Special Effects Timing

There were times when the elemental benders would start doing their nifty little hand motions to summon their respective element and it would take a while for the element to appear or it wouldn't appear at all. I think Shyamalan could've done a better job of denoting when elements will appear. For example, whenever Aang became super powerful, his eyes and head tattoo would glow blue. Perfect! That's the kind of viewer hand-holding that's allowed. Otherwise, we're left wondering where the hell the special effect went.

+ Green Screen

I haven't seen a lot of Shyamalan's films, but I imagine that movies like The Sixth Sense, Signs, and The Village did not require a lot of green screen. So we could say the very obviously fake scenes were due to his beginner's status. Or…we could point out that if he had spent some of that $150 million on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings development team, it wouldn't have looked so…cheap. I mean, there was one scene where they had an uber close-up of Aang's forehead and you could see where the clear, plastic-like part of the tattoo bordered his skin. It looked like something he got with bumble gum. If he can't even get a believable tattoo, how can you trust him with green screen?

+ The Hero

I think 12-year-old Noah Ringer is adorable. And if he went up against 12-year-old Jaden Smith, he'd probably kick his ass. But there are a few categories that Jaden would have him beat in: commanding on-screen presence, speech-giving abilities, and comic timing. Ringer couldn't find the right rhythm or tone for his thought-provoking, awe-inspiring speeches, and as a result the audience could barely connect with him. He's the title character. We should've felt a stronger bond with him than any other character, and yet I left the theater sympathizing more with Prince Zuko and his inner turmoil. The only scene in which Ringer really impressed was the last one when he was asked to make up for his past mistake and given a second chance to bow before his people. He looked sincerely terrified and you knew that this was just the beginning. He may have won this war, but even though he wasn't sure he could win the rest, he accepted his destiny. Shyamalan shouldn't have thought the actor's combat skills would be impressive enough. He should've had an acting and/or speech coach on set the way Jaden had his father. He needed someone to help him stop playing a cartoon and start playing a person.

+ The Villain

As much as I'd like to give the very funny Aasif Mandvi (The Proposal) the opportunity to branch out of his comfort zone, I just couldn't stop thinking about how goofy he's been in other films while he threatened Aang and tried to murder Prince Zuko. Mandvi and Cliff Curtis, who played the Fire Lord Ozai, should've switched roles. I'm far more afraid of Curtis—even though the last character he played was named Rabbit ("Trauma"). But I guess it's good that Curtis played the Fire Lord, because he'll be a good addition to the imminent war in the next film.

+ Actors' synchronicity

In every film, there are an assortment of characters, all allowed to behave, feel, and be different. But in this film, it was as if each main character was in their own movie. Rarely did they seem to be in the same moment. Nicola Petz was so intense in several scenes as Katara—on the brink of tears or weighed down by a foreboding tone—that her brother Sokka's light-hearted whimsy kind of made it seem like she was being a drama queen. Speaking of which, trying to feed off the Twilight mania by casting Jackson Rathbone as Sokka was foolish. Sokka was supposed to be her protector and the comic relief. While I was certainly laughing at Rathbone's performance, it was not because of anything he was doing intentionally—actually, most of the time I was just rolling my eyes. His best moments were with Seychelle Gabriel, who played Princess Yue. Looks like Rathbone is better suited to play a romantic lead than he is…anything else.

+ Ethnicity

It was painstakingly obvious, even to a non-series-watcher like myself, that Shyamalan didn't exactly match up the tale's ethnic characters with the proper ethnic actors....especially when the obviously white Sokka and Katara returned to their completely Eskimo village. What? Were they adopted?

Final Verdict: Despite everything I've listed under Cons, I would recommend showing this to your kids or renting/bootlegging it with a few friends, especially if you like supernatural/spiritual action films. But don't expect Oscar-worthy dialogue or acting. Just have a little fun.

BUZZ: Forbes Hollywood Power List [Categorized]

This week. Forbes released a fantastic list of the most powerful people in Hollywood, so I decided to break it down into categories to see who's considered the best in their field:

ACTORS 
Knowing who tops the list in actors can usually give you an idea of who's getting paid the most and who can get a film greenlit the fastest.

1. Johnny Depp // I'm not even a little shocked. Pirates of the Caribbean is such a cash cow. He's the new Tom Cruise. He could star in the live action version of "Teletubbies" and it would sell big.
2. Brad Pitt // I think this is one of very few instances where having a ton of children can actually be profitable without the sweatshop.
3. Tom Hanks
4. Ben Stiller (#1 comedic actor) // I never would've guessed that Stiller was the most powerful comedic actor in Hollywood. Granted, Tropic Thunder was hilarious, but Night at the Museum is torturous.
5. Robert Pattinson // I'm pretty sure this is the last time he'll commit to a franchise and make this much money, so he better open up an IRA account ASAP.
6. Tom Cruise // Good to know he's still powerful, even though Knight & Day tanked. :(
7. Adam Sandler
8. George Clooney
9. Charlie Sheen
10. Leonardo DiCaprio
11. Robert Downey Jr.
12. Steve Carrell
13. Daniel Radcliffe (#1 youngest actor) / Who's really surprised by this? He could literally retire right now.
14. Ray Romano
15. Alec Baldwin
16. Kiefer Sutherland
17. George Lopez // He has the honor of being the only minority actor in the Top 100.

TV ACTORS

1. Charlie Sheen // People this rich shouldn't marry as many women as he has and do as many drugs as he does.
2. Steve Carrell
3. Ray Romano
4. Alec Baldwin
5. Kiefer Sutherland // He's the only dramatic TV actor on this list. I guess the mula's in the comedy.

ACTRESSES

1. Sandra Bullock
2. Miley Cyrus
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Jennifer Aniston // It must suck that she even has to take a backseat to Angie in Hollywood. But at least she can take comfort in knowing she ranks higher than Brad--she's at #26 and he's at #30.
5. Cameron Diaz
6. Kristen Stewart // By the constant look of indifference on her face and by the way she dresses when she's off-duty, you really can't tell how rich she is.
7. Sarah Jessica Parker
8. Reese Witherspoon // It's pretty impressive that she can outrank Julia Roberts, especially since the only film she did last year was Monsters vs. Aliens.
9. Julia Roberts
10. Meryl Streep // Power-wise, she should at least be at #3.
11. Drew Barrymore
12. Tina Fey
13. Eva Longoria // She's the only fully Hispanic actress (Cameron is half-Cuban) in the Top 100.
14. Katherine Heigl
15. Kate Hudson
16. Jennifer Love Hewitt // I'm just as confused as you are.
17. Mariska Hargitay

TV ACTRESSES

1. Tina Fey
2. Eva Longoria // I hope she's using this list to ask for a raise.
3. Katherine Heigl // I wonder if this means she's a shoe-in for an Emmy. lol
4. Jennifer Love Hewitt // Seriously, how is this possible?
5. Mariska Hargitay

COMEDIANS
The asterisked names denote the people who aren't exactly comedians, but do in fact make us laugh.

*Sandra Bullock
1. Ellen DeGeneres // She has the ability to make everyone from the age of 2 to 82 laugh.
*Jay Leno
2. Jerry Seinfeld
3. Ben Stiller
*Conan O'Brien
4. Adam Sandler
*Cameron Diaz
*Charlie Sheen
*Sarah Jessica Parker
5. Steve Carrell
6. Ray Romano
*Drew Barrymore
7. Alec Baldwin
8. Tina Fey (#1 TV scripted comedic actress)
*Eva Longoria (#1 Mexican, sorry George)
9. Jeff Dunham (#1 stand-up comic) // Who knew puppets were so profitable?
10. George Lopez
*Chelsea Handler

YOUNG HOLLYWOOD

1. Taylor Swift // All hail the Teen Queen! Thank you for dethroning a certain skanky Southerner.
2. Miley Cyrus (#1 youngest / #1 Disney product) // It is a terrifying notion that the youngest and most powerful person in Hollywood makes racist comments and is actually trying to use her youth as an excuse for dressing inappropriately.
3. Jonas Brothers // Justin Bieber may be taking over their heartthrob status, but they certainly went out with a bang.
4. Robert Pattinson
5. Kristen Stewart
6. Daniel Radcliffe

BLACK HOLLYWOOD

Surprisingly enough there are no black actresses on this list--and no, Beyonce doesn't count.

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Beyonce Knowles
3. Tiger Woods
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Jay-Z
6. Michael Jordan
7. Tyler Perry
8. LeBron James
9. Floyd Mayweather
10. Shaquille O'Neal
11. Serena Williams
12. Sean (Diddy) Combs
13. Lil Wayne
14. Akon
15. Venus Williams

DIRECTOR/PRODUCERS

1. James Cameron // Take that, Kathryn Bigelow! Just kidding. ;)
2. Steven Spielberg // Without even trying...
3. Tyler Perry // The most profitable drag queen in America. lol When you are the most powerful black director in Hollywood, you get to hang out with Oprah, call on any black actor to star in your movies, and sell a concept about a trash-talking, gun-toting, ex-con grandmother.
4. Michael Bay // I'm assuming he'd be richer if he stopped wasting money on explosions.
5. George Lucas // The force is strong with this one. (Because I had to. That's why.)
6. Jerry Bruckheimer

WRITERS

1. James Patterson
2. Stephenie Meyer // Wow! She actually beat Stephen King. That's quite an accomplishment...for what boils down to a PSA on abstinence. Wonder if it worked. I guess we should keep an eye on the birth rate--maybe send it over to China if it does.
3. Stephen King

BANDS/GROUPS

1. U2
2. Black Eyed Peas (#1 Pop group) // I'm not surprised by this, because once you think they're on hiatus, they pop up with a new hit. And it's never just a summer hit, it's an every season hit.
3. Coldplay
4. AC/DC
5. Jonas Brothers
6. Rascal Flatts (#1 Country band) // I love them...and I don't even like Country.

SINGERS

1. Beyonce Knowles // She managed to keep her spot at the top in spite of Lady Gaga's innovation and overall attempt at revolutionizing the creativity within the music business.
2. Lady Gaga
3. Britney Spears
4. Madonna // She's still keeping up with the young ones.
5. Taylor Swift
6. Miley Cyrus
7. Bruce Springsteen
8. Pink // I love this girl. She rarely plays by Hollywood's rules and she always seems like she's effortlessly creating the most lasting music.
9. Kenny McChesney (#2 Country star, if you count Taylor as #1)
10. Toby Keith
11. Keith Urban

RAPPERS

I really thought Drake would make it on here, but maybe next year.
1. Jay-Z
2. Sean (Diddy) Combs
3. Lil Wayne
4. Akon // Interesting. Oh that's right, 50 Cent is busy trying to be an actor and Eminem just got out of rehab. Enjoy it while you can.

TV PERSONALITIES

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Simon Cowell
3. Rush Limbaugh
4. Dr. Phil
5. Ellen DeGeneres
6. David Letterman
7. Donald Trump
8. Jay Leno
9. Jerry Seinfeld
10. Howard Stern (radio)
11. Glenn Beck
12. Ryan Seacrest (radio) // He has like a million jobs. I am so not surprised.
13. Conan O'Brien
14. Judge Judy
15. Heidi Klum
16. George Lopez
17. Chelsea Handler

TALK SHOW HOSTS

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Dr. Phil
3. Ellen DeGeneres
4. David Letterman
5. Jay Leno
6. Conan O'Brien
7. George Lopez
8. Chelsea Handler

LATE NIGHT HOSTS

It's a good thing Jimmy Kimmel has been stepping his game up this year with "Lost" and Twilight specials, because he didn't even rank.
1. David Letterman
2. Jay Leno
3. Conan O'Brien
4. George Lopez
5. Chelsea Handler

ATHLETES

1. Tiger Woods (#1 golfer)
2. Kobe Bryant (#1 basketball player)
3. Michael Jordan // I didn't even know he played anymore.
4. LeBron James
5. Roger Federer (#1 tennis player)
6. Floyd Mayweather (#1 boxer)
7. David Beckham (#1 soccer player)
8. Phil Mickelson
9. Cristiano Ronaldo
10. Alex Rodriguez (#1 Hispanic / #1 baseball player)
11. Shaquille O'Neal
12. Manny Pacquiao
13. Serena Williams (#1 female athlete / #1 female tennis player)
14. Derek Jeter
15. Lance Armstrong (#1 cyclist)
16. Maria Sharapova (#1 youngest athlete)
17. Venus Williams
18. Danica Patrick (#1 race car driver)

 

MODELS...excuse me, SUPER MODELS

1. Gisele Bundchen
2. Heidi Klum
3. Kate Moss