On Christmas Day it was a double-header.  First we went to the movies and saw Night at the Museum---a big mistake! Although, I believe, the makers of this film was trying to appeal to adults as well as children, the movie fails at the adult level completely.  The script has a dozen plot holes and none of the characters are especially likeable.  Much of the logic as it was set up for us to believe, changed during the movie to, apparently, fit the movie set pieces.  For example, at one point Attila the Hun could not understand English and he needed a translater---then a few minutes later, he understood everything the night watchman was saying.  This could easily be on one's ten worst films of the year.

Everything got better later that day, as we sat down and watched It's a Wonderful Life.  This is a film that one can watch again and again and see and feel new things.  I had thought I was done with this film, having seen it about three times in my life.  However, viewing it tonight was my best viewing.  At no point was I bored.  Perhaps, as we grow from children to young people to adults, the different issues that this movie explores touches up differently at different ages.

Rebecca and I watched The Wicker Man (1973).  It was recently remade into a movie starring Nicholas Cage that did not get good reviews.  It was said that the first one from 1973 was far better---so I rented it.  It's a peculiar film about pagan going-on's at a small Scottish island.  It was interesting to watch but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Later, Emma and I watched Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby.  This is a feel good movie from 1943 that introduced the world to the song White Christmas.  This film is quite enjoyable.  It has many musical numbers based on the holidays o September 11, 2009 er dance number for Independence Day.  It has a happy ending and is one of those old pictures that will make you feel good all over.

Val, Rebecca, and I went to the Egyptian Theater to see two 1930's screwball comedies.  The first, The Awful Truth, starred Cary Grant (at his best!) and Irene Dunne.  It's a very funny sophisticated comedy about two divorced people who act they hate each other but we, as viewers, know that they really love each other and are destined to get back together by film's end.

The second film, Theodora Goes Wild, was a mild comedy starring Irene Dunne as a writer in a small town, who, unbeknownst to her very conservative and strict town residents, write racy and sexy novels.  The movie is basically concerned about how she keeps her occupation secret from the townsfolk and how she is eventually exposed to them.  It was an interesting film but I did not find it that funny.

This afternoon Emma and I went to see Blood Diamond which was an exciting action-packed film.  We were both exhausted after it was over.  This film is not for anybody who dislikes seeing blood on the screen or scenes of executions and depictions of body parts being cut off!  The message is clear---don't buy diamonds so that the market will dry up and perhaps the killings done for diamonds will cease.  Leonardo DiCaprio did an outstanding job---he did his character so realistic that you forget that it is DiCaprio.  An excellent film and an Oscar worthy performance from DiCaprio!

Later in the day we started to watch on DVD Keeping up with the Steins.   It is a story about a Jewish family that is about to organize a Bah-mitzvah for their son.  The parents of course want to make a big deal out of it so it tops a recent bah-mitzvah that was given by a work associate of the boy's father.  The movie was poorly written and poorly directed.  Nothing seem to ring true and many situations seemed forced.  We wound up fast-forwarding to the end (something I REALLY hate to do) just to see if the end redeems the movie---it didn't.  This film was a big miss in my book!

Ugly Betty just keeps getting better and better.  Today's show was all about family and Christmas.  The Rich Kid learned today that an old Christmas Tree with family ornaments made by them is far more meaningful than an expensive tree with expensive ornaments that a small kid can't touch.  Sure, this has been done many times before, but the writing tonight made it seem fresh.

Once again, I watched an early Brian DiPalma movie and was totally disappointed by it.  Greetings was one of his earliest films (1968) and it concerned a young man who was about to be drafted.  For ninety minutes it shows him wandering around Greenwich Village with two of his buddies as they try to figure out how to avoid the draft.  It was rather slow but I did watch it all the way through.   This was Robert Di Nero first film.

The Girl Can't Help It is a 1956 film starring Jayne Mansfield and Tom Ewell.  The story concerns an agent who has been told by a gangster to turn his girlfriend into a star.  Throughout the film there are numerous rock and roll numbers performed by artists that were popluar that year.  Especially interesting was a number performed by Little Richard.  Also seen are the Platters and Fats Domino.  It's also nice to see a film whose main performer is someone like Tom Ewell. who is certainly not hansome---however he does get the girl at the end of the movie!

Two new shows went on tonight.  The first was 30 Rock---a show that I was looking forward too.  Written by Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live the show proved to be less than funny.  Some of the performers were good, especially Alex Baldwin and Tina Fey.  Rachel Dratch was wasted and Tracy Morgan was really annoying.  I hope they reworked the show a little and get the comedy going.   I still think this show has promise.

I was also looking forward to 20 Good Years with John Lithgow starring (he always entertains me with his personna of being over the top).  However, this show was awful.  The comedy situations were forced and the direction was badly done.  I do not see any hope for this show and I have a feeling this will be off in six weeks.

Lost premiered tonight and Wow!  This is a show where the writers really try to do the best and succeed.  The opening this season was just as terrific as last year's opening.  The show seems to be able to answer many questions and at the same time introduce new mysteries.  One mystery wrapped up (I guess) was why the heck was there a polar bear on the island during the first season---well, apparently there was a zoo on the island as revealed tonight.  There is a great website that I recently discovered, Lostpedia.com at which one could spend a lot of time at---I have!

After Lost, I enjoyed the new show, Nine.  It's all about a bank robbery gone bad and how it has affected the lives of the nine hostages.  I was immediately drawn into the characters, of which some are quite likable.  Apparently, from what we have learned so far, something terrible happened during the 72 hour hostage incident, which drastically changed the lives of some of the characters.  Although it has only been on once, it seems like a great show.

I watched Desperate Housewives tonight, hoping it repaired itself over summer.  Last season was a huge disappointment over the first season.  However, the new show was really not much better than last season.  Once again, like it was most of last season, the show was just mainly a bunch of unrelated comedic events.  There was no story tying all the women together as happened in its outstanding first year.  They did try to introduce some type of mystery regarding Bree's fiance, but it didn't amount to much in this first episode.  I guess I will give it one more chance next week.

Brothers and Sisters went on after Desperate Housewives and I gave that show a try.  The show was almost good except for the fact that most of the characters are quite unlikable.  I almost liked the father but then it was revealed he had an affair  (and then he died!).  It seems most of the new shows want to write about people that we don't care about.  The writers on TV shows should take a look at the movies and see which ones have been making money---they are the ones that have characters in it that we care about---not a bunch of whining young professionals.

I gave My Name is Earl another chance the new fall TV season.  I didn't the show near the end of the last season because it began to rely too much on narration to carry the story line.  Also, I felt that the stories were getting too silly and implausible, even for a TV sitcom.  However, tonight's episode was back to its old humorous form, with minimal narration and a story that was at least somewhat plausible. 

The Office is rapidly becoming my favorite TV show.  Tonight's episode revolved around the outing of a gay character on the show and how awful Steve Carrel's character handles it.  I find it interesting how this character is such an idiot with no social skills and yet he is likable and we really feel sorry for him. Usually, such characters like this in TV shows are quite dislikable.  It was also interesting how they have introduced another office environment into the show. 

The Fall Television Season began officially tonight and it was a complete wash-out as far as I am concerned.  The evening started with The Class, a show starring a group of some of the most annoying characters ever assembled for TV.  The show's situation (having a third grade reunion party) resulted in some unbelievable events.  I will pass on this show.

The next show I watched was Two Men and a Half Men, which was one of my favorite shows last season.  However, the season kick-off episode was not very funny.  The show is funniest when the boy, Jake, is written into the show---and tonight's show did not have much of him.   The story concerned John Cryer's sudden wedding and sudden divorce.  For most of the half hour he wallowed in self-pity and we had to endure it.  Not very funny.  However, this show does go up and down quite a bit with its writing, so I will give it a few more chances.

The New Adventures of Old Christine did not have much to offer either.  I have been on the fence most of last season whether I like this show or not---sometimes it seems almost to be funny.  However, tonight I turned it off after 10 minutes.

Finally, one of the most awaited shows of the new season started, Studio 60.  Val and I found it to be very pretentious.  It seemed to be making speeches right from the start.  Most importantly, it didn't feel real (and I am in the television business---OK, the DAYTIME television business).  I feel as if the show is saying "Look at what important things we are talking about."  Additionally, the hand held camera drove me nuts.  I know directors use it because they think its artistic---I think they use it because its easy to use.  Studio 60 got me turning the off button after 15 minutes.

The 3D movie we saw this morning was Robot Monster, a film that some believe is the worst film ever made--if not the worst, certainly this movie is in the running.  This film was originally show in 3D and those of us at the festival had the rare privilege of seeing a rare 3D print.  My these still hold true, 3D makes a film more entertaining.  In 2D this film would have nothing to offer---the 3D gave it some life.  When I first saw this film I was eight years old and it scared me to death.  Looking at it today it is hard to believe that this film had that type of impact on me, even at eight!

In the afternoon we went to see The Black Dahlia, which was one of the most confusing 120 minutes of movie I have seen.  I hardly knew what was going on.  The film was partially narrated (never a good sign) and so many names were mentioned that it was extremely hard to know who they were talking about.  Events were explained in the film but I still didn't know what was what and who was who.  Ultimately, the film ends with an explanation of who murdered the girl---which is strange because this case is FAMOUS for being unsolved.  The only redeeming part of this movie is the camera work.  I do like Brian De Palma's direction---the camera moves and he has actual scenes in his film where all the actors have to hit their marks and know their lines.  So many directors today use close ups and quick shots---actors no longer have to interact with other actors or memorize long bits of dialogue---they just say a few lines while looking at the camera.

The 3D movie today The Glass Web, starred Edward G. Robinson in a tale about murder and early 1950's TV.   It concerns writers on a television crime show.  Robert Forsythe is a crime writer was apparently has cheated on his wife with one of the girls on the show.  He wants to break it up---she doesn't (it's like an early Fatal Attraction).  Well, she winds up dead.  We, as the audience, know that Robert Forsythe didn't do it---but who did?  The rest of the movie plays like a detective novel where everything is eventually figured out and the true murderer is revealed. Once again, 3D saves this movie with the depth adding interest to the experience.

This morning we watched Wake Up Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, a full-length straight-to-video movie created from all the out takes and rejected subplots from the the original movie The Legend of Ron Burgundy.  Although not as sharp as the first one, the movie was very funny and we had a great time watching it.  What is amazing about watching a movie like this is that it is hard to realize that these subplots were originally considered for the original movie---what were they thinking---a three hour movie!?  One of my favorite Saturday Night Live players, Maya Rudolph, has a major role in this new movie and her entire story was cut our of the theatrical release.  This film is highly recommend for any fan of the original.

This week begins the 10-day 3-D Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and I have my tickets!  Tonight, Rebecca, Emma, and I saw Sangaree, a 1953 movie starring Fernando Lamas that takes place in Georgia right after the Revolutionary War.  Pure soap opera, the movie was a delight---men were men, women were women, and all in 3-D!   Arlene Dahl was absolutely gorgeous as the love interest.   The story, as do most of the films from the fifties, moved at a good pace until the last half, when all three of us got confused with the story.  However, the visuals and acting were so interesting to watch that we didn't care that we didn't know what was going on!

The new TV fall season is upon us and I watched two new Fox sitcoms tonight.  The first one, 'til Death, has Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher playing an older bitter couple who live next door to an younger happy newlywed couple.   All the people in this sitcom are annoying.   Laughs were absent.  The most surprising thing about this show is how they manage to make Brad Garrett unlikable  (hey writers---you're supposed to make the lead character likeable!).

The second show was Happy Hour , a very mild sitcom about two guys living together---one is "cool" and the other is a little bit of a "nerd" who needs to be shown how much fun life can be. The show was more a little more fun than 'til Death," however, both shows will not be on my agenda to watch.

The first film I watched today was 1935's Cleopatra, a Cecil D. DeMille production.  For its day this film must have been quite a production.  Claudette Colbert plays the Egyptian queen in 1930's style.  Although the dialogue was very contemporary for its time and probably most of the details were made up, the film was quite entertaining.  It is only 100 minutes long so the story moves along, especially the last thirty minutes

The second film I watched was Quatermass and the Pit.   T his is one of those movies that has a cult following, as I have heard, and now I know why it is only a cult and not more people. The story itself, although an interesting premise, is badly executed. Too much about the life of the aliens and the spaceship is deduced from the skimpiest of details discovered. Quatermass is annoying as he creates complete scenarios of the situation based on practically nothing. It doesn't help that the special effects were even bad for its time. I will give a break to old movies and their special effects but these insect-aliens were laughable---it appeared like the producers didn't try at all. How it was all wrapped up at the end of the movie based on a silly idea thought up by one of the heroes was the last straw.

The first movie I watched today was 1937's The Good Earth, an absolutely marvelous old movie based on the famous Pearl S. Buck novel.  The story is about a Chinese family and their struggle to survive through drought, famine, revolution, and even success.  It is an epic picture that is totally absorbing.  Louise Ranier and Paul Muni play the leads and both give powerful performances.   This is one of my favorite films of the 1930's.

In the evening we went to the movies and saw Snakes on a Plane.  It was not as good as I was hoping it to be.  The first part of the film, as the passengers load on the film was rather funny and enjoyable.  Then, strange as it sounds, when the snakes started to arrive, the film seems to go downhill.  For the next 60 minutes it was nothing but snake attacks.  The film also suffered from too many special effects---they wanted the snakes to do lots of evil things but snakes don't really move or do things like that.  Back in the 1950's they would have had to use real snakes and the picture probably would have been creepier.

Valerie and I watched an old Eddie Cantor classic Palmy Days.  I felt that this was one of his better ones.  Made in 1931, Eddie was at the top of his form.  He only sang 2 or 3 songs in the film but they were great!  Busby Berkely designed the dance numbers and they were, as usual, a treat for the eyes.  This was a film where Eddie has a chance to display all of his talents---singing, eye-rolling, blackface, and his special mannerisms. 

We came home today from a 10 day trip to Palm Springs (average temp= 110 degrees!) and we saw several movies while there.  The first one we saw was The Devil Wears Prada.  This movie was great.  Meryl Streep gives an excellent performance of a boss from Hell.  Although this film was hilarious, the only beef I had was with the friends of Anne Hathaway's character.  They were so whiney and didn't really understand her position.  Her boyfriend was a real jerk because he wasn't there when she needed him. She should have left him.

The next film we saw was Superman Returns.  This movie was really bad.  Superman is a moody character in this version---he hardly ever cracks a smile and he doesn't seem like he enjoys saving people.  However, there are two things I REALLY DISLIKE about this film.  The first was the way they changed the saying "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" to "Truth, Justice, and all that stuff."  Once again liberal Hollywood has to do what they think is best for us.  The second really irksome thing was the fact they gave a son to Superman.  OK, OK, Superman is not celibate (I think he should be though!) but the son was a result of unprotected sex with a single woman.  He gets her pregnant and he doesn't return for five years.  That is not a Superman thing.

The next film we saw was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.  What a bore!  I had to leave after an hour.  I could not stand to sit through another 90 minutes of that nonsensical garbage (did the movie have to be 2 1/2 hours long?) The first film had a story that was understandable and funny dialogue.  This just had a jumbled story to which Johnny Depp seemed to be ad-libbing.

The last film I saw was after we got home.  Rebecca and I watched 1955's The Desperate Hours starring Humphrey Bogart.  He must of have been ill during this film (he died of throat cancer a year later) because his performance was lethargic.  He seemed to be tired.  Nevertheless the film itself was dated.  The story about a family being taken hostage by a gang of thugs was probably new back then in the 1950's and probably created much tension throughout the audience.  However, we have seen much worse scenarios in films since then and I felt the film sort of fell on its face.  The movie was two hours long and unnecessary at that length.