US poster for "Centurion" starring Michael Fassbender

Unfortunately, despite having some good early word, the film is only hitting the United States as a limited release (though I'm assuming it will be on the larger side of limited). Though the film reportedly lacks the epic scale of Gladiator or other recent sword-and-sandals films, it supposedly does a nice job of conveying the idea that neither side (Romans or Picts) is the "good" side, despite starting out on the side of the invading Romans. I'm excited to see Fassbender (quite the diverse actor as far as role choices go) back in period-action mode again, in material that will likely have more intelligence and gravitas than 300 to combat the lack of stylization. It will also be interesting to see Olga Kurlyenko (Quantum of Solace) back on the big screen, seeing as early reviews have given her standout praise. Centurion arrives in the US on August 27th.

Behind the scenes of "Thor"

Okay, so the interview itself is kind of a joke ("How was the chemistry between you two?" "There was, uh, chemistry"), but Portman and Hemsworth are hilarious together. Portman especially seems so charming, it's a wonder she sometimes struggles to project charisma as an actress. Here's hoping Black Swan and Thor change that. That aside, I couldn't help but be distracted by Mr. Hemsworth (Kirk's dad in the opening of 09's Star Trek). We've all heard of stars bulking up for action roles, but JESUS CHRIST he looks friggin' HUGE; this makes fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman as Wolverine look puny. I think his biceps are larger than Portman's head.

"Get Him to the Greek" - REVIEW

Spin-offs are a tricky sub-genre by nature, in that they usually involve giving one-note supporting characters too much time at the center of the action. Surprisingly, Nick Stoller's Get Him to the Greek, a spin-off of 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall pulls it off, even though it's not a particularly strong film. Only two principal actors from 'Marshall' remain: Judd Apatow regular Jonah Hill, and comedian Russel Brand, reprising his role as rocker Aldous Snow. The plot is simple but effective: Hill's Aaron (strangely not the same character he played in 'Marshall') must get Snow to the Greek Theater in LA in time for a 10 year anniversary concert. The problem, though, is unlike any I've encountered in a film with the Apatow touch. The films he's associated with usually falter when they try and add too much "depth" to go along with the raunchy comedy. 'Greek' is the opposite, in that its humor isn't strong enough, but its attempts at nuance actually feel much more genuine than 'Marshall,' Superbad, or I Love You, Man. The laughs never really stick, though I did get one or two solid guffaws, and a handful of chuckles. Thankfully it's not boring, even with some atrocious editing and poorly executed staging/blocking (a bit about Snow's mother being an idiot is done lazily). Brand actually makes for a pretty decent actor, and he has a scene late in the game that impressed me more than I ever would have thought possible. Adding to the film are performances from P. Diddy (surprisingly funny, if a bit much), "Mad Men"'s Elisabeth Moss, and Rose Byrne, who shows a surprising knack for comedy in the film's opening montage. It's a shame that the leading pair, along with the supporting cast, are given such underwhelming material, at least in the comedy department. Kudos, however, to the team behind it for never making Aldous Snow one-note and boring, and for wrapping up this wildly uneven romp with a sweet little ending. It's often said that it's better to end well than begin well (hello, Nine) but Get Him to the Greek is a different sort of beast: it ends and begins well, it just needs a new middle.

Grade: C

New teaser for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I"

YES! They kept the Gringotts Dragon!!! Oh, and the rest of it looks pretty cool too. I'm loving the cinema verite shots in the forrest, and the lead trio really seems to have stepped up their acting for the last (two) film(s). After making the best (...second best? best?) installment in the series (Order of the Phoenix), I'm excited to see David Yates finishing out the series.

Tripping the Life Sarcastic

I understand that there's more than a little irony in getting nostalgic about sarcasm, but if ever there was a film or TV series that deserved some love, it's "Daria". In honor of the release of the complete series on DVD last month, here's a look back at one of the best cartoons from the past 20 years.

Sarcasm has a very special place in the world of American comedy, specifically television, and few recent shows aimed at teens put it to better use than this one. For those who don't recall, "Daria" ran on MTV from 1997-2001, lasting five seasons (13 episodes each) and two hour-long TV movies. The show centered on laid-back, pessimistic, realistic, detached Daria Morgendorfer, as she navigated high school, portrayed as a world of vapid classmates and condescending adults. If anything could sum up the series' protagonist, it was its tagline: Talks Slow, Thinks Fast. But while the show's protagonist could be contained in those four words, Daria Morgendorfer and the show around her was really so much more. Not only does it remain one of the best things to ever come out of MTV (which now spends its time making masterpieces like "Jersey Shore"), but it's a stand-out among animated series. It didn't play dumb, it didn't talk down to its audience, and it didn't go out of its way with gags involving stupidity or gross-out moments. And despite having a smaller following than "Beavis and Butthead" (of which it was a spin-off), it has an appeal that stretches from high school students to adults (I'll cite my parents as examples).

It's easy enough to see what made "Daria" such a treat for its fan base. At a time when pop-culture excess was really starting to blow-up among the high school set, "Daria" offered a refreshingly dry, witty, and often hilarious commentary on the dumbing-down of teenage life. And I mean hilarious. Though Daria delivers her lines in a monotone, she has the majority of the show's smartest, most cutting jokes, referencing everything from Dostoevsky to the Hanoi Hilton. And while the characters of Lawndale may be exaggerations (the thick-headed jock, the dumb blonde cheerleader, etc...), the shows use of the characters and their relation to Daria was never taken too far. Consider Brittany, the aforementioned dumb cheerleader. While she's dumb as rock and occasionally says things indicating her support of the stereotypical "caste system" of highschool, she is never cruel to Daria for being a "brain". Brittany is even given her own shining moment. After saying stupid, vapid things throughout the first season, Brittany suddenly shines as a skilled military tactician when the school goes on a field trip to play paint ball. Then there’s Quinn, Daria's fashion-obsessed younger sister who tells her friends that Daria is a distant cousin. Like Brittany, she’s mostly distant or at odds with Daria, yet she shows some growth in the fifth season when Daria briefly takes over her English class. Another notable character is Jodi Landon, who lacked Daria's sarcasm but made up for it in being both smart AND active in the school community (student council president, president of French Club, etc...). An episode where the two girls talk about the pros and cons of their respective personalities is easily one of the most insightful, humbling moments in the entire show. And yet even the characters who remained the same, like the elitist, hilariously-voiced Fashion Club never grew stale, because the show's writers new exactly how each member of the Daria-verse fit in to the puzzle.

But like many teen-oriented shows, "Daria" also took on issues, and once again it surpassed the competition. As was often the case in the 90s and even early 2000s, when teen shows wanted to address an issue, you could see it coming from a mile away. I can't keep track of the number of shows that ran ads like, "this week on a very special episode of _____". So while many shows presented ham-fisted scenarios to address topics, "Daria" did it seamlessly, even if it was presented in exaggeration (Principal Li selling out the school to a soda company for funding). In fact, "Daria" almost never felt like it was making a huge deal out of issues, even when Daria herself had a chance to monologue, because it was simply THERE. The writers were smart enough to know that the show's audience didn't need to be beat over the head with a message.

But perhaps the greatest single strength of "Daria," amid all of the laughs, was that it never canonized its protagonist. Though the first season never put Daria in the wrong, as the show progressed it wasn't afraid to occasionally make Daria do something that required her to make amends. This culminated late in season four wherein Daria more or less lures away her best friend's boyfriend. This brings us Jane Lane. Though I've already talked about the characters, I've saved Jane for last because she is one of the show's greatest strengths, and possibly even a better character than Daria herself. The fact that she actually has aspirations and is often shown working on pieces of art only add dimension to her, and keeps her from being Daria-lite. And while not as book smart as Daria, Jane is a more accessible, though often equally sarcastic, foil; she is the heart to Daria's brain.

So how does "Daria" hold up 13 years after it first premiered? Well, after plowing through all five seasons on DVD, pretty damn well, even if 99% of the soundtrack is missing due to licensing issues. In an age when pop-culture seems to be increasingly headed in the direction of an Idiocracy (I'm looking at you, Ke$ha), "Daria" serves as a reminder that to discerning audiences, being a "brain" can still be cool.

Grade: A

Fantastic, Hitchcock-inspired poster for "Buried"

The Month in Review: May 2010

I'm not sure when it happened, but for a while now, I've only been reviewing or talking about films that I've seen in theaters, completely ignoring the number of films I've rented (recent and older). In order to keep more films in discussion, I'm starting a new (well, two) running posts, especially since Video of the Week has totally fallen by the wayside. The first, which I won't start doing until the end of this week, will simply cover everything I've seen outside of the theater for the week. The second, which will be detailed here, will basically be an end of the month wrap up, wherein I discuss my favorite movies on DVD and in the theater, and give monthly "best of" awards to my favorite films, performances, etc... The only real rule is that, like the Cannes Film Festival (as of last year), no film can win more than one award. Without further delay, I present the first installment of the Month in Review series:

Best Film (Theater): How to Train Your Dragon

Though it was released in late March, I didn't get around to seeing Dreamworks' latest until early May, which makes it eligible for consideration. Though at times overly simplistic or rushed in storytelling or characterization, the film was sweet, generally well told, and featured some of the best flying sequences I've ever seen, 3D or otherwise.

Runner(s) Up: Iron Man 2

Best Film (DVD/Rental): Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

If you were to ask people which "Once Upon a Time in..." film from Sergio Leone they prefer, it's difficult to say whether they'd vote for "America" or "the West"(1968). However, my vote easily goes to "America." In stepping away from his Spaghetti Western roots, Sergio Leone's final film is also his greatest. Even at a butt-numbing run time of 3 hrs and 45 minutes, it remains relentlessly engaging, bolstered by clearer story telling than "West," even as it occasionally jumps around in time. Though it can be grim and brutal, there are also moments of understated joy, whether it be when Noodles (Robert DeNiro) takes Deb (Elizabeth McGovern) on a date to a lavish seaside restaurant, or when a younger Noodles and his friends help recover sunken crates of booze from the Hudson River. Under Leone's direction, the moments are strangely touching and even a touch sentimental, but never to the point where it becomes syrupy. As with any Leone film, the production values are stunning, with the standout being Ennio Morricone's magical score. It is a staggering masterpiece on all accounts, and one of the best of 1984 (a year highlighted by films like Amadeus, A Passage to India, and Blood Simple).

Runner(s) Up: TIE Amarcord (1973) and The Hidden Fortress (1958)

Best Director: Federico Fellini for Amarcord (1973)

In Fellini's long line of Academy Award-winning films, few have approached the level of nostalgia found in Amarcord. Beautifully shot (notably, in color), and filled with moments of humor, sadness, and strangeness, the film's greatest accomplishment is that it fully accomplishes its goal: a slice-of-life portrayal of one year in the life of an Italian village. Where so many slice-of-life films limit their focus, and as a result feel empty and even pretentious, Fellini is wise enough to broaden the looking glass, and the result is a sprawling, engaging, and stunningly mounted look at people's lives, that is handled with grace.

Best Male Performance: Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007)

Despite Curtis' odd movements (no doubt a result of his fight with epilepsy) during performances with Joy Division, Riley never makes them cartoonish or over-the-top. Riley's work is a promising breakthrough (as is the film for director Anton Corbijn), as well as a nicely restrained portrait of a man who struggled to understand the condition that would eventually lead to his death.

Runner Up: Ian Holm in The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Best Female Performance: Arta Dobroshi as Lorna in Lorna's Silence (2008)

While I'm not crazy about the Dardenne brothers' award-winning Cannes entry, the one aspect I can say I liked was its leading lady. In a rather bare-bones, limited perspective script that almost leaves too much to the imagination of the viewer, Dobroshi manages to hold her ground as a woman caught between her duty to a Russian mobster, and the junkie who she's been living in a sham marriage with. Her gaze, while not always openly expressive, does have a quiet way of making you wonder exactly what's going on in her head, especially as she begins to doubt her duties to the barely-seen mobster. In an otherwise iffy (albeit interesting) film, Dobroshi is the only one to make the slightest impact.

Runner Up: Yolande Moreau in Seraphine (2008)

Best Screenplay: Reprise (2008)

For a film about struggling writers (one of whom is somewhat suicidal), Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier's film is surprisingly alive. Though heavily influenced by French New Wave, Trier's heavy use of lengthy hypothetical situations is invigorating, and injects a vitality into a style of film making that can often leave people cold. That said, it's not much of an actor's piece, but the cast does a nice job, especially Viktoria Winge as Kari, the estranged girlfriend of Philip (Anders Danielsen-Lee). The quiet music, consisting mostly of ambient tones, adds a nice touch as well, especially during a hypnotic sequence involving Philip traveling to Kari's office. As a statement on the artistic/creative process, as well as one on the way success and failure can irrevocably shift relationships, Trier's debut is undoubtedly a winner.

Best Ensemble Cast: Roman De Gare (2008)

Though the circus-sized cast of Amarcord would seem like the obvious choice, I'm going with the roughly three-person trio at the center of Claude Lelouch's twisty Roman De Gare. The title is thought of as an expression for a "station novel" (a book you read casually on the train), and Lelouch's film perfectly captures that aesthetic. The film is twisty, turny, and though not entirely memorable, it is wholly engaging. This is in part due to the three intriguing characters, each of whom are much more than they seem. Fanny Ardant and Audrey Dana are there for glamor (the former upscale, the latter more "girl next door"), but it's Dominique Pinon who leads the way as the mysterious Pierre Laclos, who may or may not be an escaped serial killer...or something else entirely. In a film that could have easily gone off the rails (ha), Lelouch's three co-leads help hold this enjoyable Gallic thriller together.

Best Cameo Performance: Steve Buscemi in The Messenger (2009)

Though the film is built on the performances of Foster and Oscar-nominated Harrelson, the stand out is Steve Buscemi as a grieving father who can't contain his fury over the rehearsed, borderline academic method of notification officers. Buscemi is an actor who is usually used for his quirkiness factor, so seeing him tackle such heavy material is a welcome change, and a reminder of his considerable talent.