Shutter Island deserves a read before the 2009 movie premiere!

When it comes to comparisons between novels and movies, I consider myself a book guy. That is to say that I find it rare that a movie adapted from a book or novel can live up to the original work. Such scrutiny is typically heightened when the novel in question is by an author I’m particularly fond of. That being said, I really think that Dennis Lehane’s novel, "Mystic River" was done extremely well and was able to retain the soul and feel of the story as told by the greater-Boston native.

While "Gone Baby Gone" was a decent movie, there were quite a few changes and necessary omissions that didn’t do the story or characters justice. Now with Martin Scorsese directing one of Lehane’s most ambitious works in that of "Shutter Island," I really am curious. If you’ve read the novel, you know that the story is not only mesmerizing and complex, but is done in such a way that the reader can’t help but be totally thrown off by the ending. I of course, won’t give that away, but I highly suggest that you go to your local bookstore and read the novel before the movie comes out next fall. For first time Lehane readers, I guarantee you’ll find yourself buying more of his work and you will understand why this mystery fiction master has had so much of his work transformed into major Hollywood productions.

There's always time to watch one's favorite show!

There are several television shows that I watch throughout the week. Some are ones that I DVR and can’t wait to tune in and then there are those that I watch because my wife enjoys them. That’s isn’t to say that I don’t like them, but it’s suffice to say that The Biggest Loser isn’t my first choice for shows to watch when there are alternatives like the Sci-Fi Channel and some cool shows on the Discovery Channel. That being said, we are both still in the first several months of our marriage and I think that it’s important to have some give and take. I know full well that if I really wanted to watch Battlestar Galactica, Julie would either go upstairs to another tv or just switch it, but the point is for us to be together. It doesn’t really matter what it is we’re watch because family time is family time. This is of course when the DVR becomes such a great thing to have. We can watch The Bachelor all night long and I don’t mind because I can still watch Jack Bauer take on the rest of the world after she goes to bed!

Cloverfield - Not a new idea, but masterfully done!

When Cloverfield came out on video last year, I was excited to see it. This J.J. Abrams monster-thriller had been hyped up a great deal and the reviews were pretty good for what is a essentially a horror flick. Admittedly, it actually took me a couple nights to watch it and it’s quite short. It’s not because I didn’t like it, but rather, I think it was because I had a lot going on. Anyway, the point is that I didn’t really get a chance to take it all in.

So when last weekend, Julie and I decided to stay home and rent a movie, decided that I wanted to see it again. Julie had mentioned an interest in seeing the movie after I had rented and so it was an easy choice.

For those that don’t know, the movie is basically filmed entirely from the point of view of a guy with a video camera. And while the person shooting the film changes from the beginning, there are no multiple camera angles or neat camera tricks. What we see happen in the movie we see through the eyes of one of the characters. This isn’t the first time this type of filming has been done, but I think that it was one of the more effective portrayals because throughout the drama, action, and horror of the events, we get a fairly intimate picture of how a group of friends in New York, cope with what has been thrust into their lives on a single night.

And like any review of sorts that I do, I won’t go into the plot or give away any details, but I can say that the movie is both shocking and even rewarding. Rewarding in the sense that the whole story is told and no loose ends are left untied. The shocking part… well, you’ll have to watch it.

It's more than an Oscar show, but like, a whole day!

Let’s be frank, I’ve been sitting here for the past 5 hours watching Oscar related television and I’m about to pull my hair out. Am I the one that wanted to watch all the red carpet show? No, that would be my wife. Are there other televisions in the house I could have used? Yes, but then again, I could have done something else all together and yet I didn’t.

If you go back to an earlier post, I think I may have mentioned my thoughts on all the garbage that goes with award shows. The “red carpet” is the epitome of this. I mean who the hell really cares what the stars are wearing and how they feel about the awards? Okay, I understand that millions and millions of people care, but it’s so damned boring. That being said, watching all of this invested me in this year’s awards show. I mean I can’t just not watch even that my wife has gone to bed. So I sit here so I can basically see who wins the award for the one category that I’m really interested in. Wonder how many guys sit in my shoes right about now?

Who will win on Sunday night at the Oscars?

Is it unreasonable that I have an Oscar favorite for Best Actor and I haven’t even seen the movie? How about the fact I have a favorite for Best Picture and I haven’t seen that movie either? Well, suffice to say, I haven’t been to the theaters all that much this past year, but even it I had, it’s unlikely that I would have seen The Wrestler or Milk. Sure, I could have seen them recently, but for some reason, most Oscar-worthy films become Oscar-worthy before they even hit the screens.

I know I would like to see movies having been released for a certain period of time before being able to be nominated for Oscars. Granted, Oscar winners are often times movies that have smaller ticket sales than summer blockbusters. With the exception of The Dark Knight, which got snubbed in almost every category except for one, this years choices have a decidedly indy feel to them.

All that being said, I truly hope that Mickey Rourke gets the nod for The Wrestler and Milk wins for Best Picture. I see Rourke as the ultimate underdog and having seen a documentary about Harvey Milk several years ago, his story is exceptional. Perhaps you ask why I wouldn’t choose Sean Penn and quite frankly I think he’s the biggest competition for Rourke, but aside from his early roles, I think that Penn is an ass. The same could be said for Rourke, but with both perception is key.

Open your imagination to Due South - You won't regret it!

Long before winning his first Oscar for the original screenplay he wrote for Crash and the multiple nominations for Million Dollar Baby, Paul Haggis was already a successful writer, producer, and director. Having created several television shows, the native Canadian created one of the most beloved series ever to grace TV screens across Canada and, for two seasons, the United States.

In 1994, Due South debuted on CBS with mixed reviews. Critics liked the witty writing and the seemingly intriguing storyline of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who traveled to Chicago to track his father’s killer.

Billed as a comedy-drama, Due South was seen as a bit odd by some and brilliant by others. While each episode was mostly self-contained, the aforementioned theme of solving the mystery of his father’s death turned to Constable Benton Fraser (Paul Gross) chasing mob bosses and common criminals with Chicago Detective Ray Vecchio (David Marciano), all the while be followed around the sprawling city by his deaf half-wolf Diefenbacker.

The show only lasted two seasons in the US, but aired for another two in Canada and made Gross one of Canada’s most-loved and revered actors. With special guest stars in almost every episode, a fabulous soundtrack that spawned two albums, and creative writing that was second to none, Due South became known as one of those rare gems that America just didn’t get.

Fortunately, I returned to this show about 5 years ago and prior to their release in the US, I was able to get all four seasons imported from Canada. All the DVDs are now available everywhere, but the show still remains a mystery to most viewers. And yet whether you use Netflix or Blockbuster, I would highly recommend adding the Pilot and Season 1 to your queue. Due South remains as one of my favorite television shows of all time and made me proud to recognize the true talents of our fine neighbors to the north.

Awards shows and DVRs

We all know that it’s impossible to annotate your DVR recordings, but wouldn’t it be great if you could at least press fast-forward once and have it automatically skip through a set of commercials? Sure it would, but it would be even better if there was a switch made especially for award shows!

Okay, this really is in jest, but for anyone that has any inclination to watch a show like the Oscars, there is so much you just don’t want to see or hear. Some people just want to know exactly who won the top awards and that’s it. Zip – press the new button on the DVR and you’re there. Others like the musical performances and the top awards. This would require multiple zips, but a little preprogramming could keep you away from the award in the “Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary Made Before Bush Came Into Office” category.

Seriously, we all read and watch a lot of shows and the like, about annual awards, but the shows themselves are overkill. So I think everyone should just set their DVRs and do something else until the end. Facebook anyone?