In the interview with director Ari Ryan on 2005'sThe Hard Easy, he makes it clear that themovie is lifted from several other sources, which explains why watching it gaveme a scorching case of deja vu.

Made about a decade too late, The HardEasy tries to expand upon an almost impossible task by setting it againsta fairly interesting premise. Rather than have one unlovable loser, whosemisfortune is all his own, this movie tries to have two of them. And it imposesthese hard-luck anti-heroes against the backdrop of an armed robbery where twogangs show up to collect.

This is a heist movie, of a kind, though the usually entertaining portioninvolving planning and preparation is replaced by what the director calls"character building." Sadly, the characters seem like pastiche jobs of peoplewe've seen before, only more ...Read the entire review

I put off watching The Secret Life ofWords for nearly a month. I don't know how many reviewers there are whoread these, but for those who don't know, reviewing a good movie is a hundredtimes harder than reviewing a bad movie.

When something is bad, you know it instantly. It's easy to point out when thedirection is awful or the script makes no sense or characters are insertedwithout any rhyme or reason. Hyperbole is easy, too. "It's the worst thing I'veever seen." "Dear God, please strike down the people responsible for this film."

And so it took me a while to watch The SecretLife of Words, a quiet, meaningful picture about pain and loss and theprice of happiness.

Written and directed by Isabel Coixet, the bulk of the film takes place on anoil rig after a devastating fire. The opening scene of the movi...Read the entire review

Full disclosure -- when my wife and I took a trip to Napa a few months ago, we landed in Oakland, got in our rental car and immediately got out the iPod so we could play Phantom Planet's "California" while we drove.

"This American Life" host Ira Glass even admitted that he and his wife loved the series.

All of us mourned when it ended. Now you can see what makes me a little weepy every day with "The O.C. - The Complete Fourth Season."

For no good reason, we got hooked on "The O.C." back in season one, when Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) was trying to choose between Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong). Something about an emo-loving, comic book obsessed nerd getting to choose between two exceedingly hot women somehow got me interested.

But that was all the way back in Season 1. And things have really, really changed since then. Here's t...Read the entire review

Don't watch Sensitive New-Age Killer alone. Not that the film, also called S.N.A.K., is too scary to see by your lonesome. Not at all. But I don't know if you can really appreciate it without friends.

A low-budget action-comedy from Australia, S.N.A.K. does a decent job with a not-too-complicated plot about a hitman and the warped world around him.

Paul Morris (Paul Moder) is a hitman with a conscience. He only kills people who deserve it - kind of the vengeful hand of Karma - though he doesn't think about it too deeply.

He became enamoured with the trade at a boy when he saw a woman saved by famed hitman Colin "The Snake" Adder (Frank Bren) and idolized the man, even keeping pictures of him in his car and on the refrigerator at home for inspiration.

The next we see of Paul, he's just killed a dirty cop, unaware that a...Read the entire review

Aftershock – Beyond the Civil War

The danger in that is our history becomes skewed, sometimes outright wrong. Were the Pilgrims who came to America looking for religious freedom or the freedom to make their religion dominant?

Was World War II really about Adolph Hitler trying to take over the world, or did it have a little something to do with the aftermath of World War I, which left the country destitute?

And so, when people talk about the Civil War, we get that maddening shorthand again. Slavery, they say, was the cause for the war. And when all was said and the North had won, the slaves were free and happy and skipping around, possibly with ribbons in their hair.

For a look at the real history of the Civil War a...Read the entire review

"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."

- Red Green

My dad introduced me to long-running Canadian comedy "The Red Green Show" the same way he introduced me to every other show on PBS that I came to love – by forcing me to watch with him.

The men of the Possum Lodge were some of his favorite characters, possibly because he saw so much of himself in the pragmatic manly man Red Green (played by Steve Smith). The duct tape devotee Green is sometimes boastful, often ill-informed and tends to think very little of his nephew and major domo, Harold (Patrick McKenna). Maybe my dad always thought I was Harold.

The Red Green Show – 1998 Season is actually season 8 of the show which ran from 1991-2005 and it definitely hit its stride by '98. The episodes have taken on a rhythmic quality, a little story to start with, followed by regular segments, another bit...Read the entire review

The Discovery Channel made an amazing investment when they gave Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman – two veteran special effects wizards – their own show.

"Mythbusters" is an entertaining show and it spawned a special based solely on myths propagated in films. Discovery collected the special on the DVD Mythbusters Mega Movie Myths.

The result is a fun and informative 84 minutes of demolition and science, even if it becomes clear that it was made for TV.

The Feature

Savage and Hyneman start the special with their co-hosts Tory Belleci, Grant Imahara and Kari Byron watching movies. While Kari tries to feed popcorn to Buster, the crash test dummy, everybody decides they should challenge some of their favorite movie myths.

OK, the conceit here is a little weak, but it's not annoying and it's just the set up. They come back to it once or twice, ending with a re-cap ...Read the entire review

The '90s were a magical time for really mediocre movies.

Not everything was bad, mind you. No one is saying "Pulp Fiction" was blasé or that "Clerks" lacked vision. But for every one of those, 100 so-so movies that wanted to be like their genre-defining heroes came along and laid on the screen like they had Epstein-Barr.

So pity Coming Soon. the tale of three confused high school girls who just want to have an orgasm.

Wait a second? An orgasm? What happened to girls searching for love or even a guy worth of sex? Not there, folks. These girls can have all they want, it's just not good enough.

The Movie

The protagonist is Stream Hodsell (Bonnie Root), a semi-wealthy Manhattanite who is trying to keep up with her stylish, rich and snobby friends Jenny (Gaby Hoffman) and Nell (Tricia Vessey).

After being deflowered by rich jerk Chad (James Roday, "Psyche"),...Read the entire review

Whatever Jon Bon Jovi is – a guitarist, a singer, a man with way too much poofy hair – he is not an actor. Not that he doesn't try his best with the material given in National Lampoon's Pucked, but he just isn't. Acting isn't the only failing point of this largely unfunny comedy. The writing and direction are done with the sort of care-free attitude someone might have when making a sandwich they don't plan on enjoying. Pucked is a pretty crappy sandwich.

The Movie

Bon Jovi "stars" as Frank Hopper, an attorney who quit to become a dreamer. Sadly, his plans go all wrong, at least according to the tale his best friend Carl (David Faustino, Bud from "Married with Children") tells the janitor (Curtis Armstrong, aka "Booger" from "Revenge of the Nerds"). While buying an ass warmer for his mom (who is implied to be dead later in the movie), Frank fills out a su...Read the entire review

Kurt Vonnegut once said that the best comedy was dangerous, because it's wasn't just funny, but true. Comedy about danger – or perceived danger – is pretty funny, too, in The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.

The Movie

Comedians Dean Obeidallah, Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader and Maz Jobrani skewer themselves, their heritage, America and much more in The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour.

The weakest of the bunch is Obeidallah, who was basically invited along to give them four comedians, much like "The Blue Collar Comedy Tour" and "The Original Kings of Comedy" and "The Comedians of Comedy" and "The Kims of Comedy" and all the other foursomes of rogue comedians roaming the countryside.

Obeidallah seems like a warm-up comedian and while some of his ideas are funny, the follow through on "Bush is less popular than herpes" and "What people say when they hear I'm Arab" just d...Read the entire review

In every room full of potheads watching cartoons, there's one guy who isn't high. While the rest of them giggle at the juvenile gags of "Scooby Doo" and "Thundercats," the sober one starts questioning how these bits of pop art would be if they were aimed at those who could really appreciate them.

I'm not saying Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer were always clean, but it's clear they share both a passion for the classics and the keen minds to recreate cartoons for those of us who grew up watching them.

The Show

Hammer and Publick's creation The Venture Bros. is "Jonny Quest" all grown up. The genius, the bodyguard and the boys are translated from two-dimensional comedy/action sketches into fully realized, fully human characters.

The show centers on Dr. "Rusty" Venture, a pill-popping genius who, it turns out, isn't that smart.

If the first season was supposed to ...Read the entire review

Even if you've never seen Steven Wright, you've seen Steven Wright. His style of comedy has become ubiquitous in the decades since he burst on the scene.

OK, "burst" is not a good adjective for Wright. "Mosey." That better describes the comedian who nearly sleepwalks through his act. His monotone delivery and one-liners are famous and inspired others like Mitch Hedberg and Todd Barry.

In Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away, the comedian keeps a steady stream of non-sequiturs and puzzling questions coming, much to the delight of the audience.

The Movie

It's not the funniest I've ever seen him, but it's a good act and full of material that challenges even as it amuses.

He boasts of his addiction to placebos, which he would quit, but it wouldn't make a difference.

There's a lot of term combinations that don't make sense, necessarily, but still elicit ...Read the entire review

The question my comic book nerd friends and I ask whenever a new superhero movie or TV show is made is, "How will they screw this one up?"

Certainly that's not the most open-minded way to approach something new, but over the years, the continuity-laden fans have become jaded at what film and television producers deem unnecessary to the story.

Suddenly Dr. Doom is with the Fantastic Four during their accident. Spider-Man doesn't build web shooters, he grows them. Etc. Etc. Ad infinitum.

Continuity scares away new fans, we're told. And so it's rare to see something transferred whole to the screen.

While changes must be made (as they are in the comic books) to serve the plot, they don't have to throw the baby and the bathtub out with the bathwater. Take Justice League Unlimited, Season 2, which invites in new viewers and takes liberally from the world of DC Comics to make a thoroughl...Read the entire review

If I knew nothing about the marketing of movies and DVDs, I would tell you that Spider-Man 2.1 is a great new cut of an already outstanding action movie.

Forget everything else when you watch this and it's great. The extra 8 minutes of footage add context, lengthen and deepen some emotional scenes, inject the funniest moment of the film and (surprisingly) add and extend fight scenes.

Fans of Spider-Man 2 will love this movie because it's more of what they already wanted.

Unfortunately, I know a little something about these extended cuts, especially from Marvel films.

This is a big money grab by the makers of the film, selling not only to those who didn't buy the first 2-disc set, but to those die-hard completists who must have everything Spider-Man related. (As one of those dorks, I sympathize.)

It's also a tie-in with the upcoming Spider-Man 3, due in theaters May 4. Read the entire review

In an increasing manufactured world, there's little wonder that people are interested in the tricks of how some of their favorite products and innovations come to be.

Cable TV has been happy to answer with shows like "How It's Made" and "Unwrapped." The Travel Channel combines that curiosity about manufacturing with a well-developed sense of national pride in the four-disc John Ratzenberger's Made in America, Season 1.

Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin from "Cheers") travels the country examining American-made brands while opining on how great it is to be American himself.

In fact, his rampant patriotism is almost cause for alarm, as it seems only a foreign agent, sent to destroy these United States, would make as big a fuss about Americanism.

It's not helped, either, that Ratzenberger has latched on to some pretty annoying traits: mushy sentimentality about almost anything, a corny sense of hu...Read the entire review

Since the 1960s, Americans have thrilled to the adventures of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Sue and Johnny Storm -- the Fantastic Four.

After a semi-successful movie a couple of years ago, a sequel is in the offing and Marvel Comics (which owns the franchise) are exploring other media for the long-running characters.

Cartoons featuring the group have been around for a while, but in 2006, Cartoon Network showed a modern vision of the Fantastic Four -- available for the first time now on DVD in Fantastic Four -- World's Greatest Heroes, Volume One.

The Show

Though they are American through and through, the Fantastic Four featured in this cartoon are certainly Asian-esque. Johnny Storm's hair is in a Japanese mullet and the facial expressions -- you know the ones -- are reminiscent of Japanimation.

Not that that's a bad thing. The modern look suits the storylines, which are a littl...Read the entire review

The Movie

Race, sexuality, religion and class warfare intersect, sometimes violently, in Flag Wars, a captivating documentary from Zeitgeist Films.

Captured over four years, Flag Wars is the story of an influx of wealthy, gay residents into the poor, historically black neighborhoods of inner-city Columbus, Ohio.

At times inspiring, frustrating and heart-breaking, the cinema verite documentary is never less than fascinating.

Long-time victims of discrimination, the black community doesn't know what to make of their new neighbors, lead into the market by realtor Nina Masseria. She sees the potential in the area and welcomes in a virtual army of homosexual homeowners who repair and renovate the neighborhood before trying to make it their own.

On the other side of the fence are the black neighbors, whose homes have seen better days and fear the rise in property taxes and the ...Read the entire review

The Movie

Can we all agree that when we see "National Lampoon" in front of something anymore, we all groan and then look away to think wistfully of Animal House and European Vacation?

Van Wilder was OK and Vegas Vacation had some funny moments, but the death knell is here.

Nikki Ziering, who is either best known for being a Playboy Playmate or once being married to Beverly Hills 90210's Ian Ziering, "hosts" National Lampoon's Spring Break.

The problem with this movie is that there is no movie here. There are tiny retarded vignettes that add up to a small retarded story, but they are interspersed around Girls Gone Wild rejected footage taken on the National Lampoon's all-inclusive Spring Break vacation.

Ziering introduces segments in various states of undress, at once telling us not to look as she takes off her top and then returning in ...Read the entire review

The Movie

A comedian who has all but given up, his English teacher from 15 years ago and a drug dealer who uses the Macerena to seduce women all meet up in The Godfather of Green Bay, a passable comedy starring, written and directed by Pete Schwaba.

Schwaba plays Joe Keegan, a comedian who everybody said was the next big thing about 100 big things ago.

Dejected because he can't make it on network TV while a hack named Higgins (comedian Jimmy Pardo) is hosting his own show, Keegan hops in a car with a friend to head to Wisconsin for Rocktoberfest and a shot at impressing a talent scout for The Tonight Show.

Once there, he runs into Molly – played by Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber, Down Periscope) -- and some very tough audiences.

All that is the main plot, but the draw of the film is drug dealer and grade-A moron Big Jake, played capably by Tony Goldwyn (The La...Read the entire review

Sitcoms have gotten a bad name, of late. After "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Cheers," the waters of the sitcom ocean have become murky and hard to discern.

There are a few breakout hits, like "The Office," and a few critical favorites, like the late and lamented "Arrested Development," but there's room out there for some solid, funny and bizarre stories to be told.

That's why I'm happy that Fox put out "The Loop" Season One, the silly and light story of a recent college graduate trying to balance his immense work responsibilities without losing all the things that made his life fun before.

The Show

Bret Harrison stars as Sam Sullivan, the youngest ever executive at Trans Alliance – a failing airline that's claim to fame is being number 11 in the world.

Harrison is a veteran of frivolous TV shows – appearing on "The O.C.", "Grounded for Life" and "That '70s Show" before gettin...Read the entire review

The Movie

Some dark comedies make the mistake of wandering too far into the black. The key is that the deaths – a hallmark of the genre – must be those of the unlikable or, at least, minor characters.

Despite an impressive little body count, Keeping Mum manages to stay cheerful throughout.

The story follows Walter Goodfellow, the vicar of Little Wallop, and his suffering family. His wife Gloria is contemplating an affair with her golf pro, his daughter Holly is sleeping with all comers and young Petey is the constant target of the school bullies.

Not all of these problems can be laid at the feet of Walter, but if he wasn't so wrapped up in the minutiae of church, he could likely solve them all.

Enter Grace Hawkins, the new housekeeper and a dark vision of Mary Poppins, who is compelled to keep the family together, though her reasons for it are not immediately apparent. Read the entire review

The Movie:

...So Goes The Nation is like a beautiful autopsy. Focused on battleground state Ohio in the week preceding the 2004 Presidential election, the film cuts the struggle from stem to sternum and lays out the political guts for us to sniff.

Despite the heated and controversial subject matter, ...So Goes The Nation is at once informative, hilarious and fair.

While much of the humor comes from political movers and shakers like former Clinton staffer Paul Begala and the Bush campaign media director Mark McKinnon, the passion and drive of the story are the men and women on the front lines.

The film follows three generations of campaign workers, lawyer Miles Gerety, middle-aged mother Leslie Ghiz and young activist Evan Hutchison, as they try to swing the state that mattered most to their political side.

The older Gerety and the 26-year-old Hutchison both worked fo...Read the entire review