Ctrl: Season 1 (2009)

Ctrl is a fast-paced, hilarious, and endearing Web series from NBC. (Instead of 22-min episodes broadcast as a TV series, Web series generally have 3- to 8-minute webisodes that pack a lot of creativity into the smaller space. Examples of other Web-based series include The Guild, Children's Hospital, and Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog.) Recaps are necessary but rapid and take up only 10-15 seconds not a minute as some complain. As our story begins, Stuart's annoying and incompetent boss Ben spills Nestea on his keyboard, causing the Undo key combination (Ctrl-Z) and other buttons to affect time and space in ways Stuart can only learn by trial and error. Episode 1: Ctrl (Stuart tries telling Ben's secretary that he loves her, hitting Undo for a "redo" after every mistake), 2: Ctrl B (Stuart tries the keys for Bold, tells off Ben, and gets fired), 3: Ctrl Z (Stuart succeeds in hitting Undo and keeps trying to woo Elizabeth), 4: F1 (Stuart clues Elizabeth into his secret as they test more key combos and Stuart pastes three copies of himself), 5: Ctrl C, Ctrl V (Stuart tries to hide, explain, or eliminate his duplicates), 6: Ctrl Home (pressing Home sends Elizabeth back to the Philippines), 7: Ctrl X (Ben learns about the keyboard and confronts Stuart with a baseball bat, but Stuart hits Insert and Recycle Bin), 8: Ctrl Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz (Stuart accidentally goes back 15 years in time to the day he met the brat who would become his boss), 9: Ctrl Y (Stuart's advice to the boy changes everything on his return -- he is the boss but Elizabeth is engaged), 10: Ctrl Alt Delete (Stuart and Elizabeth finally admit their feelings for each other). Richard Karn has a cameo and Cat Jahnke sings the musical theme. 4.5 stars.

Anna to the Infinite Power (1982)

Movies from the 1980s may not be as painfully dated as some from the 1970s but they may still evince a certain whiff of cheesiness. Bearing this in mind, the production values of Anna to the Infinite Power are mainly passable with low notes evident in the soundtrack (with frequent sound-chamber echo overtones) and acting (esp. the four principals in the first half). Martha Byrne as ten-tear-old Anna in particular is a one-note brat during the first half but becomes more reasonable and intriguing as she figures out what is going on and what she is going to do about it. Our story begins as Anna has a nightmare about calling "Mother" to a strange woman before their plane crashes (then later learns a plane crashed at the same time she awoke from the dream). Anna has a brilliant scientific mind and is already being groomed to become a famous scientist by her mother, who with a mysterious team of doctors insists on an aggressive curriculum of math and science, pooh-poohing anything artsy offered by Anna's musician father. Anna soon forces the issue and learns she was adopted even as her mother more fervently reassures her that she has a "great destiny." As more Annas come to light, so does the true nature of what has been kept under tight wraps (and must be kept so or made to go away). Anna to the Infinite Power is noteworthy since it broached the subject of genetic engineering in 1982 (same year as Tron). The story line is marginally captivating. (I had to rent this title from a competing service since it has been a Save title on this service for as many years as I can recall.) I would have given it 3 stars if the acting and production values had been in the same league (satisfactory) as Melinda and Melinda. Regrettably, I am giving it a lesser grade (mediocre) of 2.5 stars. (2-11-11 posted 2-24-11)

El Juego de la Verdad (2004)

El Juego de la Verdad (Truth or Dare) is a fairly typical romantic drama from Spain with actors who have appeared in similar movies such as Dot the I, The Other Side of the Bed, and Sex and Lucia. Alberto (Oscar Jaenada) is businesslike and handsome (like Dharma's Greg) while his fiancee Susana (Natalia Verbeke) is mesmerizing and luscious in any light; she is also the daughter of Alberto's boss and one suspects Alberto is not entirely able to separate his career from his love life. Meanwhile, his best friend Ernesto (Tristan Ulloa) is breezy and oafish (like Dana Carvey or Declan Donnelly) and his girlfiend Lea (Maria Esteve) doesn't seem to be aware of any life goals either. After Ernesto receives the erroneous medical report that he is going to die of cancer within three months, Alberto and Susana insist that he move in with them to ease his final days. The foursome goes camping and, vowing to take turns telling the absolute truth, Ernesto reveals that he would like to sleep with Susana before he dies. The initial response all around is naturally "No!" but over time, each of the other three friends wrestles with the conflicting rationalizations of propriety versus pity. How they resolve the question, separately and together, involves several twists before Alberto's wedding day. Being from Spain, there is occasional nudity and canoodling but it's very low-key. I liked El Juego about as much as L'Auberge Espagnole and I think you'd like it too. I watched it in Spanish without subtitles. (Oddly enough, I received this disc accidentally from a competing service instead of a similarly titled one I had queued that has long been a Save title on this service, El Juego de Arcibel. This movie is currently available here on streaming.) 4 stars. (2-24-11)

Tron: Legacy (Tron 2) (2010)

Tron (1982) was a masterpiece of computer graphics at the time. Of course that's not saying much for its look, script, and acting -- but it was a near-spiritual experience for those who grepped or grokked its minimalist arcade-graphics approach (esp. when a program hears the words "End of line" or utters the words "O my User!"). Now, almost 30 years later, Tron: Legacy ramps up that sense of wonder by several orders of magnitude and soaks it in adrenaline with visually awesome and viscerally powerful lightcycle races and disc duels on a greatly evolved Grid. (The graphics must be seen esp. in 3D and the Daft Punk soundtrack must be experienced esp. in Dolby to be believed.) It seems Flynn (reprised by Jeff Bridges) abruptly disappeared when his son was a young boy; grown now but with daddy issues and a daredevil-may-care attitude, Sam is searching for something (and it's not control of Encom). When he receives a clue from his father's long-shuttered arcade (from a sympathetic executive in an extended cameo role by Bruce Boxleitner), Sam gradually uncovers the truth about his father and the world inside the Grid. Everything has gone horribly wrong and one misstep could also threaten to destroy the real world outside of the Grid. It is up to Sam (Garrett Hedlund) and the unique and beautiful fighter Quorra (Olivia Wilde) to battle Clu (played by a digital doppelganger of Bridges) and his minions (not the cute yellow bespectacled kind either). Flynn's Zenlike demeanor and role make for a fascinating pacifist foil amidst the gladiatorial pitched battles; clearly he chooses brains over brawn. Tron: Legacy is a movie I simply *had* to see in the theater and in IMAX 3D -- and I will own it when it comes out on disc. Don't miss Michael Sheen as the smarmy Zeus! 5 stars. (2-15-11 posted 2-24-11)

Family Guy: Freakin' Sweet Collection (2004)

After several years of jonesing for this disc, our favorite rental service finally managed to restock Family Guy: Freakin' Sweet Collection. Freakin' Sweet no doubt had greater appeal when it was released during the three-year hiatus between the cancellation of this amazing animated series and its resuscitation owing to its infectious popularity. Now, however, the first three seasons (as well as the following five seasons) have long been available on DVD and are in constant reruns as the most-aired animation franchise on TV. So Freakin' Sweet should only appeal to folks who haven't yet seen Family Guy and those completists who must see every scene and commentary (though there's little of that here). Freakin' Sweet offers five episodes that represent Seth MacFarlane's favorites: When You Wish Upon a Weinstein (Peter wants Chris to convert to Judaism so he will become successful), Road to Rhode Island (after Stewie loses their plane tickets, Brian and Stewie try to get home any way they can with a side trip to look up Brian's mother), To Love and Die in Dixie (after Chris witnesses a robbery, the family enters a witness protection program in southern rural Bumblescum, where everyone has missing or buck teeth but good hearts), I Am Peter Hear Me Roar (Peter is forced to take workplace sensitivity training and gets too much in touch with his feminine side), and Lethal Weapons (Lois discovers a gift for martial arts that perpetuates violence in her home). These episodes are fairly representative and include key musical numbers such as "I Wish I Had a Jew," "Road to Rhode Island" (nominated for an Emmy), and "My Fat Baby Loves to Eat." Full-orchestra music has always been a serious component of Family Guy and it helps that Seth is a multitalented man who can croon with the best of them -- and in several character's voices.) Seth also does the Brian and Stewie commentary for Road to Rhode Island (much more entertainingly than the real commentary provided by production principles including Seth for other episodes: "True story: The voice of that cop is my cousin Jim. He's an air-traffic controller at XYZ Airport. (snickers) That's a joke to anyone from Rhode Island because that airport is defunct! (sputters)") The extras are piddly with uninteresting dribble about the coming of American Dad and Family Guy Season 4. The only other thing you get with this disc more than watching the same episodes on the season compilation discs is a three-second scene in Road to Rhode Island with Osama Bin Laden. So skip this disc unless you're a Family Guy completist or a newbie. 4 stars.

Love Conquers Paul (2009)

Love Conquers Paul is an independent movie that has weaknesses in its audio, acting, script, and directing, however, I always stick through to the end and in this case I was glad I did. The movie was filmed in Glen Falls, New York and that setting gives it some grounding, which is important given the movie's premise and development (and weaknesses). Paul (Brendan Bradley) first appears as a cute but fairly creepy stalker who tapes women having coffee, driving to work, and so on. He selects a suitable "target" and concocts a pretense to meet them "by chance," initiate a conversation, then go on a first and then subsequent dates. He explains his latest failure to his best friend Ray (Russell Garafolo): He hadn't actually read her favorite book so he was clueless when the woman asked the most obvious question about it. We slowly begin to get the idea that Paul isn't creepy because he's controlling but he seeks a measure of control because he is insecure: He really has no clue how to converse naturally with a woman (much less what to do with one if he catches her). He seems emotionally frozen in preadolescence, trying to learn by rote and logic what comes naturally to young men with a greater vested self-interest. We also gradually learn the origins of Paul's stunted emotional growth -- and he becomes a mildly tragic figure. Paul's life since age 10 has largely been filtered through the videocamera -- his interactions with his mother as a child and with the world as an adult -- yet it is not the detachment of the camera but his relationship with his mother (seen as he reviews his tape library and weeps) that has frozen his heart. We also suspect and then eventually become aware that Paul is not as surreptitious a videotaper as he would think. His boyish and buoyant hopes for love are firmly crushed -- but Paul picks himself up and actually seems to become slightly better-adjusted with hope for a normal life. Watch it to see for yourself. Love Conquers Paul feels like Gigante or, much more faintly, Film Geek or Napoleon Dynamite. 3 stars.

Alien Autopsy (2006)

Alien Autopsy grew on me from start to finish, beginning with a 3-star impression and ending with a 4-star. It's a low-budget mockumentary that slowly unpacks a battery of quirkiness and surprises -- right down to the end-credits revelation that the scruffy documentary director is played by Bill Pullman! Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin engagingly play the real-life protagonists Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, two Brits who faked and filmed a Roswellian alien autopsy. (The real guys also appear in the closing credits.) Alien Autopsy is the "story" of how they came upon a 50-year-old Army film of an "actual" alien autopsy, lost the film, produced their own fake version of the film, became insanely famous, and what happened after that. Since the film they "found" is supposedly at the center of the actual and controversial film Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction? hosted by Jonathan Frakes, we basically have a Be Kind Rewind approach to a film about a film within a film within a film. Our protagonists are ne'er-do-well posers who (in the mockumentary) manage to pull off one of the biggest scams ever on the international viewing public. It's a low-key hoot, a very underplayed comedy that is suggestive of Black Books or The Office (UK). (I even thought Mackenzie Crook from The Office appeared in it.) If you like humor that doesn't beat you over the head but pokes you in the ribs till you chortle, and want to see our protagonists wrestle with a Russell Brand-like psychopath, don't miss Alien Autopsy. P.S. I had to acquire it from a competing service because it's been a Save title here for what seems like eons. (See my growing Add Bl-ckbuster list for hundreds of titles that are available from a competitor if not here.) 4 stars. (2-3-11)

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (2003)

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman is a nicely done Batman movie with effective animation, scriptwriting, and voice talent. Batman (Kevin Conroy) begins to encounter an upstart vigilante dressed as a new Batwoman who often out-bats Batman -- she's athletic, fast, and determined, with an impressive Batglider and flying and fighting skills to match. Moreover, she's competitive and seems to have a chip on her shoulder about the crooks she pursues. Meanwhile, suave Bruce Wayne encounters three young women who are definitely or possibly interested in him -- rebellious bad girl Kathy Duquesne (Kimberly Brooks), daughter of a crime lord; resourceful police detective Sonia Alcana (Elisa Gabrielli); and klutzy researcher Dr. Roxanne Ballantine (Kelly Ripa), who reveals her agility when cornered. Is one of these women secretly the new Batwoman? If so, which one? It's a well-developed story with a variety of droll personal touches and voice roles, such as David Ogden Stiers as Penguin, Hector Elizondo as Bane, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred. The streaming version includes a 6-minute "chaser" short called Catch Me. 3.5 stars. (2-3-11)

Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America (2004)

Shaolin Ulysses is a fairly interesting documentary about five individual monks from China's restored and expanded Shaolin Temple who have separately emigrated to the United States -- in Queens, Brooklyn, Houston, and Las Vegas. Each man (one now a former monk with a wife and infant) bears the sincere purpose of helping to introduce and spread the Buddhist worldview and kung fu disciplines. We hear their stories in their own words and see them competing in, demonstrating, and teaching the various kung fu styles. (One says in China, students practice eight hours a day; in America, students practice one hour a day.) It's impressive to see their speed and energy as well as their agility and harmony in action and to hear how cultivating a tranquil mind is the key to progress. These men's commitment, discipline, and fulfillment can be a good lesson for Westerners who may otherwise be distracted by materialism, self-indulgence, and "accomplishments" (not to mention popular trends and technology). Shaolin Ulysses is a low-key documentary with a sinewy and spiritual core. See it if you are in any way interested in kung fu! 3.5 stars. (2-3-11)

Rick Cleveland's My Buddy Bill (2008)

The humor of Rick Cleveland's standup routine My Buddy Bill comes across high and dry, sort of like David Sedaris doing a Bill Maher routine. Rick looks like a nerdier version of Harry Anderson, who played Dave Barry in Dave's World, or for that matter Dave Barry, who played himself in Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys. Rick tells his story in a straightforward manner, as droll and dry as can be: How he (allegedly) happened to become a friend of President Bill Clinton through his knowledge of dogs (Bill's is named Buddy). It's quite an amusing journey, sauntering from episode to episode and irony to irony. I liked it a lot. It's not guffaw-inducing hilarious though it is grin-and-chortle-inducing fun-ny! I esp. like when Rick gets nonchalantly introduced to Billy Bob Thornton (cue sax solo in "Under Pressure") and Christopher Walken; also Rick and his wife have dinner with Bill and Hillary (who eventually puts a kibosh on the men's friendship). Keep in mind that Rick's story is like the fake Bill Gates or Steve Jobs weblogs -- it sounds so true to form yet could not possibly have happened -- or could it? It's only 42 minutes. Watch it if you want some smart humor! 4 stars. (2-2-11)

Futurama: Bender's Game (2008)

Bender's Game is another "extended" Futurama feature that runs as long as three half-hour episodes. As such, it's a bit goofier and more rewarding than a single episode because the story arc is at least as creative but runs longer and tighter. Its opening credits begin with a psychedelic Yellow Submarine journey that suggests anything may be fair game here, even an alternate-universe storyline. As our story begins, Cubert and three nerdy friends are playing Dungeons and Dragons while the Dr. Farnsworth and Planet Express are facing an impending shortage of the dark matter pellets that fuel all space travel and are a monopolized commodity controlled by MomCorp. Soon the crew discovers the truth about dark matter's origins and is fighting Mom and her minions (from her three stupid sons to her hordes of deadly but stupid killbots) to defeat her controlling and nihilistic plans. They also pass through a series of virtual-reality scenarios that form an extensive spoof of Lord of the Rings as well as other sci-fi and fantasy sagas. (Hear George Takei mutter "Way to kill the franchise, Bakula.") I like this Futurama feature better than all the others and I would watch it again with my youngest. 4.5 stars. (2-2-11)

Talhotblond (2009)

Talhotblond is an MSNBC documentary about a gripping must-see train wreck -- and then the narrative reveals a powerful twist that drives its shocking moral implications home even harder. We all know that "on the Internet, you can be anyone." But is it honest? Is it moral? In an online game, no problem -- but where Internet flirting, cheating, and seduction come into play, the human cost can be devastating, as this tale describes. Talhotblond is the true story of an Internet "love triangle" gone sour -- as it was fated to do from the start, given the character flaws of the first two participants -- resulting in the death of a decent and honest young man who became the victim of two functional sociopaths who swathed themselves in lies and self-delusion. Most of this disarmingly told yet chilling story -- mature audiences only -- is expressed in the words of Thomas (marinesniper), the 46-year-old married father of two who became infatuated and began having chat sex with Jessie (talhotblond), a lithe-bodied 18-year-old girl just across the state line, first in the persona of someone her age and later as himself. (She initiated contact but it hardly matters once both became addicted to the anticipation and the thrill of their forbidden attraction.) Thomas is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for the execution-style murder of Brian, an 18-year-old co-worker who was caught up in Talhotblond's web, first out of spiteful revenge and then her sickeningly dysfunctional manipulation. Talhotblond refused to be interviewed or even captured on camera for this film but her words and demeanor are well-documented through rolling chat transcripts that let us peer into the reams of emails these two shared and the hundreds of photos she shared with Thomas and a number of other men for which she was trolling. Talhotblond is a lot like Fatal Attraction or the Dateline child-sex sting operations and it won Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival. It's a real-life object lesson that (unfortunately) the Internet harbors some real sickos -- and that if someone appears to be hotter than one could imagine, he or she is probably the polar opposite of their self-aggrandized fantasy in real life. 4 stars. (6-10-10 posted 2-2-11)

Play the Game (2008)

Please save yourself the grief and pass on watching Play the Game if you think Andy Griffith should be freeze-dried in the 1950s and never seen outside of his roles in Mayberry RFD, A Face in the Crowd, and Matlock. (Who could think about having a "relationship," much less intimacy, with Aunt Bea in the house? After all, in 1953 TV audiences couldn't deal with Lucy and Desi wearing pajamas except in separate twin beds.) If that is the Andy you want to remember, you are guaranteed to get apoplexy from this film and should avoid it at all costs. However, if you are (I'm spitballing) a twentysomething or else retired -- or anywhere in between -- that believes humans are not sex-avoidant creatures, then you might find yourself laughing a lot. It will probably depend on whether you find Andy's old-guy dancing in the beginning (and during the end credits) to be a sorry sight or a funny one. Our story begins as the widower Joe (Andy) grows morose in his retirement digs, paid for by his good-guy grandson David, who is a highly successful if Machiavellian sportscar salesman. Something of a ladykiller, David scouts the showroom floor to clinch a sale as strategically as he reconnoiters each rendezvous with a female patron in the local watering hole (even recruiting his married friend to force a spilled drink on him as a conversation starter). Like the dudes in The Tao of Steve and Wedding Crashers, David has skirtchasing down to a science -- until he meets the one girl his best game won't work on (and who may be gaming him) in the smart and cute Julie. Meanwhile, with David's coaching and encouragement, Joe has taken up with a post-hot-flash hottie Edna (Liz Sheridan) who has the hots for his tater tots. She introduces Andy, who has so far only been with one woman, to the blue pill then noncommittally calls him "a wild stallion who must run free." He goes off the deep end, thinking he's a real "chick maggot." Part of this film's appeal will be to people who love Andy no matter what he does. Part of its appeal will be to older folks who see themselves in Andy's dating fumbles and sex-farce hijinks. (His face no longer as expressive, so some of his jowl-flapping sex jabber and actions were frankly disturbing to me.) Part of its appeal will be to younger people who laugh at old folks doing stuff one didn't think (and sometimes don't want to know) old folks do. So this movie gets a mixed verdict. The developing relationship between Joe and Rose (Doris Roberts) is endearing (esp. as a twist reveals in the final five minutes -- hey, just like Matlock). Andy's antics may seem creepy to a crowd too young to have jowls much less care to kiss a partner's and two supposedly comical scenes of geriatric climax may scar some peeps under 30. In any event, Andy gets game (and the ever-whuffling Doris Roberts). A less-creepy movie would have won 4 stars but since I find the smell of Ben-Gay to be very unsexy, 3.5 stars. (6-15-10 posted 2-2-11)