12/14/01 -- My readers have good taste...

12/14/01
When readers attack!...

Before you do anything else, go read Pamie's article on double standards in movies like Shrek and Vanilla Sky. She wrote it for the section I'm editing now, and I think it came out Fantastico. It's the first big piece I've edited for the movies section and she came through outstandingly on a really tight deadline. Go check it out.

I've got smart readers. With good taste.

On Wednesday, I asked people to send me some ideas on some popular media that they like and think you should check out.

Here's what Paul, who says he only watches Smallville on TV, has to recommend:

Here's my two bits on some movies out now...

BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Owen Wilson pulls off the Action Hero role quite well. Gene's too old for this shit, but still plays a good Crusty-Yet-Tenderhearted Officer. The filming is the best part of this movie, and worth the price of admission. Two bums up.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN: Good, but not nearly as good as Out of Sight. Clooney plays the exact same character. Don Cheadle sporting a British accent IS pretty funny, though.

HARRY POTTER: Haven't seen it. No desire to.

SPY GAME: This movie would have been a lot better if the whole thing wasn't in flashbacks. Give me Three Days of the Condor.

And here's my Obscure Movie Recommendation of the Day...

THE DINNER GAME: Films don't get much funnier than this. A little French production about a contest between friends to see who can find the stupidest person to bring to dinner.

Request: Review Vanilla Sky for us please. I like Tom, and Penelope's the HOOCHIE MAMA, but I really don't know what to expect from this movie. The previews are so disjointed, and I really don't want to waste any time that
would be better spent picking my nose.

Paul: I didn't get a chance to see Vanilla Sky this week (I ended up staying home and watching Smallville), but I hear mixed things. Our movie critic loved it, but I've been reading lukewarm reviews. If in doubt, rent the original, "Abre Los Ojos," which I can definitely vouch for as a fantastic, mind-bending movie.

Here's what Cosmo offered:

If you're still looking for TV shows to talk about, why not 24? Not sure if Sars and Gustave have been raving to you about how it's so wonderful and marvelous and blah blah blah Kiefercakes, but... well, it is.

I saw the pilot episode and really liked it (especially since my friend Erica from LCP was supposed to have a featured extra role), but I confess I haven't caught it since. Too much good TV stuff this season.

A fellow named John says:

As a huge fan of the animated The Tick series, I was not looking forward to the new live action version starring Patrick Warburton. After the first show I was still not impressed. A friend of mine, however, downloaded the first few episodes (from a guy in Canada who does a great
job with mpegs) for me and I was shown the light!

After the first episode, they seemed to find their footing. Tick's dialogue is wonderfully inane and Patrick Warburton has the presents to pull it off. David Burke as Arthur is the best piece of casting I have ever seen. Nestor Carbonell as BatManuel has a very clever Tick-like name, following the animated character very well and a pretty good substitute for Die Fledermaus. I am very happy with Liz Vassey as "Captain Liberty" though she would have been outstanding as the original "American Maid."

All of this I have written and yet I have yet to see a broadcast show. I guess I like the show, just can't give up Friends and Will & Grace on Thursdays.

Bernie Mac is THE King of Comedy, if you ask me.

I've had some bad TiVoing problems with Tick, but the episodes I've gotten to catch has been really good. Oh, and if you're not watching The Bernie Mac Show, you should be. It's got my vote as the best new show of the season and is on track to becoming the best sitcom on TV. Seriously, it's that good.

Heather (but not the Heather who has contributed here), asks:

I was wondering if you were planning to review "The Lord of the Rings." I really enjoy your site, and would like to hear what you have to say about it.

Funny you should ask because I just saw it today. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. It was huge and epic and just right. I really liked the Harry Potter movie and this made that look like a high school production of Godspell. I don't see how they could have done it any better and Peter Jackson is a damned genius. So go see it. Next Wednesday.

Here's what Casana has to offer:

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (ships January 22, 2002)
Medal of Honor: Frontline (March, 2002)
Now the Medal of Honor World War II First Person Shooter series makes it way from the PSX to the desktop, X-Box, and PS2. Originally developed by Dreamworks interactive, the MOH universe is now being distributed by Electronic Arts, with both games being developed by the Oklahoma based 2015 Studios.

MOH: Allied Assault for the PC and X-Box utilizes the powerful Quake III engine for its move to the PC. As the protagonist Lt. Mike Powell, your West Point education, mastery of English, French, and German, and exceptional skills as a marksman for the 34th Infantry Division, caught the attention of the Office of Strategic Services (a WWII precursor to the CIA). Having recruited you to the "special infantry," you work as an elite soldier with Ranger-level training, available for short-term assignments for specific missions requiring covert deception and/or sabotage in preparation for major offensives. This FPS includes missions very similar to those depicted in the Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" i.e. a Mission 3, Omaha Beach landing level, where you must capture enemy officers and gain as much information as possible from them about enemy defenses further inland, and a Mission 5 Snipertown Battle" level, where you and your platoon are responsible for capturing and holding the German command post in the town hall. You must also eliminate enemy snipers that will attempt to take out you and your platoon in the open areas. MOHAA also will include an online multiplayer component, which will include about 10-12 multiplayer maps and 33 levels in solo-play. Basically, this installment in the MOH universe will take the game to new places it could never go on the PSX. Check out the website to view still shots and footage of the game play. The multiplayer demo is supposed to be released on 12/14/01. Frankly, I think the final product will kick boo-tay.

On a smaller note Medal of Honor: Frontline is set to be released for March 2002 on the PS2. Reprising your role as Jimmy Patterson from the original MOH, this game takes place between the 3rd and fourth missions of the original MOH. As Jimmy Paterson, you must infiltrate the German front line and steal the experimental Nazi flying wing code-named HO-IX. There are 5 levels, with 3 missions each. The environments for this installment are huge, allowing the player to explore the environment, and depending on whether you wish to use stealth or go in with guns blazing, command a small group of soldiers or go at it solo, the outcome will be different. More information can be found here.

Sorry if I sound like some executive shilling for these games, but as a amateur WWII buff, and amateur military historian, I've been waiting forever for more MOH games, and it's finally happening. I'm really looking forward to both of them.

Wow. Damn, get all technical on me, why don't you? Great suggestions, though. There was a line a mile long at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo waiting to see Medal of Honor.